Antebellum
by Sela McGrane
Summary: SEQUEL TO "The Slowed Decay of Time"! The entire history of the Wizarding world comes into question and Hermione and Minerva must make new allies out of old enemies, if they have any hope of surviving a war with Muggles that began over 1300 years ago.
1. Chapter 1

** Hello all! This story, "Antebellum", is a sequel to my story** **"The Slowed Decay of Time". If you have not read SDoT, you should. If you don't feel like going to find it, I'll indulge your lazyness just this once and give you a basic summery:**

** "The Slowed Decay of Time****" takes place 32 years after the Battle of Hogwarts. Minerva McGonagall has been living in seclusion all those years**, **as during that battle she was bitten by a Vampire, and fears infecting the woman she secretly loves - Hermione Granger. Meanwhile, Hermione divorces Ron and becomes Headmistress of Hogwarts (upon the death of Flitwick) and some of the portraits ****'spill the beans' on Minerva. Hermione realizes she loves the older woman back, and they get together. Other point of interest are that, as with most of my stories, Severus Snape is NOT dead. **

** If you have not read SDoT, you do not get the spoiler gave. Anything I didn't mention above is explained in this first chapter. Oh, I promise, this story does have a plot, but as I realize Chapter 1 of "Antebellum" doesn't do much more than introduce the cast - who they are, what they do, blah, blah, blah - I just wanted to ask for your patience. This story is going to be awesome. Also, for those who DID read SDoT, and were perhaps disappointed with the lack of smut, I promise this story will have some. SDoT was rated T. This story is rated M. **

**Normal disclaimers apply. I'm not JK Rowling. I don't own the Harry Potter universe. If I did, I would not have killed Severus Snape.  
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><p>"Minerva, are you ready?" Hermione Granger, Headmistress of Hogwarts, called to her spouse. "Simon Owled and said he'll just meet us there!"<p>

Simon Tobias McGonagall was their son. About a year aver the two women got together, they had decided to have a child, before both of them were too old. Like Minerva, Hermione had only been partially infected by the Vampirism, and so while both of their lives were dramatically extended, they would eventually age. Minerva had been bitten almost sixty five years ago now, and she had hardly aged at all.

Simon had just turned thirty, and was currently dating the recently of age Vivian Potter. Vivian was Harry Potter's granddaughter, through his eldest, James. James had married a Ravenclaw girl, Susanna, and had three children with her. Vivian, a recent Hogwarts graduate, was the middle child. Her older brother, Jimmy, had graduated Hogwarts four years ago, was getting ready to start his final year at the Auror Academy. Vivian's younger brother, Quinn, was getting ready to start his fifth year at Hogwarts.

Harry's second child, Albus, had married a Slytherin (much to Harry and Ginny's dismay!) named Kate. She was muggleborn, like Hermione, and nearly as intelligent. Albus and Kate had two children. Helen was getting ready to start her seventh year, and her little brother Will was about to begin his fourth. Both were Slytherins, like their parents. Albus himself had been the first Slytherin the Potter family had produced in known history. Harry's middle child often said to his father that he was in Slytherin because he spent too much time with his Godfather, Severus Snape, as a child.

Severus had recently celebrated his one hundredth birthday. He was an active part of the lives of all the Potters, Weasleys, McGonagalls, and to his never ending dismay, Longbottoms. Hermione's son, Hugo, and Neville and Luna's son Giles, had come out as a couple some thirty years ago, and were still together. They had never married, but it didn't matter to any concerned. They were all one big family, wedding rings or not. After more years of seclusion than Minerva had put herself through, Severus had decided to be a more active part of his two godsons' – Albus and Tobias – lives. Like it or not, the grumpy old Potions master was part of the family. In his defense, neither Harry and Ginny or Minerva and Hermione had asked his permission when naming him godfather to their respective sons.

Harry's youngest and only daughter, Lily, had taken a leaf out of her Aunt Hermione's book and surprised the family by introducing Amanda Hooch, granddaughter of the former flying instructor, as her girlfriend. This has happened about five years ago. Prior to that, Lily had been and several relationships with men, but they never seemed to last more than a few months.

Hermione's own daughter, Rose, had married Teddy Lupin the year after her mother had gotten together with Minerva. Rose had inherited the Weasley fondness for large families, and had six children. Their oldest, Remus was the oldest of the cousins at twenty three. He was following his father's footsteps and had joined his father's business. _Secret Requirements_ was a company that made secret rooms and passages in both Wizarding and Muggle homes. His sister, Dora, was three years younger and was her cousin Jimmy's training partner at the Auror Academy. Albie was getting ready to start his seventh year with his cousin Helen, though while she was in Slytherin, he was all Gryfindor. The two were polar opposites – she was prim, proper, and was most often found in the library, while he was wild, had a rather odd style about him, and had inherited his great-grandfather Arthur's insane love for Muggle devices. Jeannie was about to start her fourth year with Helen's little brother Will. Again, one a Slytherin, one a Gryffindor, but in this case the two cousins were as close as brothers, both Seekers on their respective Quidditch teams. The youngest of Teddy and Rose's brood were Ronnie and Billie. The twins had been born a mere month after their grandfather, Ronald Bilius Weasley, had died suddenly of a heart attack, ten years ago now. While Ron and his daughter Rose were often at odds because of his taste for much younger women, his death had still hit her hard, and so she had chosen to name both the boys after him.

"Minerva!" Hermione called again, getting impatient. It was nearly the end of August, and as tradition, the whole family was getting together at the Burrow, which Teddy, Rose, and their children now lived in. Molly had passed away three years before Hermione's ex-husband, Ron had. After that, Arthur had gotten a small apartment in Muggle London, giving the Burrow his granddaughter and her growing family, until he too passed away five years later.

"Blast woman, I'm coming!" Minerva shouted from the other room. Moments later, she walked out in a pair of blue jeans and a button down emerald shirt. Likewise, Hermione was wearing blue jeans, though she wore a light tan turtle-neck. "Unlike you, I don't look gorgeous just rolling out a bed," she quipped. "Patience, dearest."

Hermione chuckled. "You ready to go?"

Minerva nodded, and walked over to join Hermione in front of the fireplace. They would Floo over. "The Burrow!" Hermione clearly stated, throwing the green powder into the flames. The stepped in, and moments later they were greeted by shouts and squeals all around them.

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><p>Hermione's children, Rose and Hugo, were arguing by the kitchen sink. "I'm just saying, Hugo, you and Giles should start a family. You are the son, you are responsible for carrying on the family name. Uncle Bill had all girls, Uncle Charlie never had any kids, Uncle Percy's son died when he was 13, Uncle George's son joined a Muggle Monastery up some mountain…"<p>

Helen and Albie, the soon to be seventh years, were having a verbal stand off by the front door.

"Albert, I'm just disappointed. I think you are a reasonably intelligent wizard, and you are wasting your potential," Hermione heard the new Head Girl saying to her cousin.

"You are _so_ not understanding how amazing electricity is, cous," Albie replied. "Muggles can do a lot of the same things we can, using what nature provides. I gotta wonder sometimes if electricity is better than magic. My buddy Henry says…"

"Oh _do not_ get me started on Henry," Helen groaned. "I don't know who told Professor Finnegan he should reproduce. He's odd enough."

Ronnie and Billie were running around the table, shirtless, covered in paint. "You can't catch me, you can't catch me!" they shouted in union. Merlin save her when those two come to Hogwarts next year, Hermione thought. They were Fred and George Weasley all over again.

It was when Hermione's eyes finally found her younger son, Simon, that all hell broke loose. He was in the next room, on the couch with Vivian Potter, and they were snogging and groping like a couple of sixteen year olds.

"Simon Tobias McGonagall!" Hermione shouted.

By this point, Minerva had spotted the couple as well. "Oh boy," Minerva muttered.

Hermione had always been the disciplinary parent, as she had already raised to children by the time Simon came along. "Young man you were raised to be a gentleman. You are thirty years old and should sure as hell know better than this!"

Rose now shifted her attention from her brother to her cousin's daughter. "Vivian, you were Head Girl last year. You should _more _than know better!"

"Yes, Aunt Rose," Vivian mumbled.

"Sorry mum, mother," Simon apologized to Hermione and Minerva in turn. "Just got carried away."

"Not your fault what you inherited from your father," Minerva jibed.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Minerva's cousin, Nero, had been the sperm donor when she and Hermione had decided to have a child. Both women had been naturally proper all of their lives, and so anytime Simon did something _not_ proper, they blamed Nero. It was all in good fun -most of the time Simon did something not proper, it related to his personal life, and Hermione blamed Minerva for that one. Her long time lover might be nearly one hundred and thirty years old, but she was still a wild animal when the lights when off.

That in mind, Hermione just nodded curtly to her son, and she and Minerva found a seat at the table. Too late did they realize that they'd both sat in puddles of paint.

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><p>Hours and plenty of chaos later, the children were let to play outside, and the adults were in the living room drinking a quiet cup of tea, chatting about their lives and the things to come in the next year.<p>

Hermione sat close to Minerva on the couch, leaning on her partner's shoulder. In a few short days the new term would begin and the two women would suddenly find very little time for each other, at least for a few weeks until things settled. One would think that it would be the first years, the new students, which caused all the start of term anxiety, but it was actually the fifth and seventh year students – OWLS and NEWTS years. For some reason, without fail, a good handful of students would have little breakdowns when they got to school and realized that the rest of their lives depended on how they did on their exams this year.

Neville and Luna were well acquainted with this phenomenon. With Neville being Deputy Head, he got just as much of an increased workload associated with out of their minds teenagers. One of the things Hermione liked about having a male Deputy was that while she dealt with the girls, he could deal with the guys. It seemed to make the students more comfortable, knowing that the girls could talk to a woman who'd been through the same thing, and the boys could talk to a man who'd been through the same thing. Luna, while not a teacher at the school, lived on the grounds with Neville and had sort of become the unofficial school councilor. Hermione was starting to think she could make the position official, and pay Luna for her troubles. The blond woman counseled girls, boys, and staff alike. _'Problems don't have age or gender,'_ Luna had once said. _'They only have solutions.' _

Harry and Ginny probably had more stress to deal with than Hermione, Minerva, Neville and Luna combined. Two years ago, Harry had been made Minister of Magic. He had been Head of the Auror Department prior to that, but when Kingsley Shacklebolt finally kicked the bucket, and most of Harry's co-workers had nominated him to replace the former Minister, Harry had gone ahead and run, thinking that it would be better if he wasn't boss to two of his family members, Dora and Jimmy, anyway. In retrospect, Harry often said that he wishes Ron had still been around to talk him out of it. _'Your bloody mad.'_ Ron would have said. Being Minister of Magic was like herding flying cats.

Ginny found that it was now impossible to walk around the Wizarding public without being mobbed. Between being "friend of The Boy Who Lived", and then "wife of the man who killed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named", and then "holder of highest record for goals made in professional Quidditch history", and now "wife of the Minister of Magic", Ginny could hardly leave the house. If she could help it, she Owl Ordered anything she needed, or went shopping in Muggle London.

Teddy and Rose living as calm a life as they could with six children. Remus has his own flat now, but as he worked with his father he was at the Burrow most mornings for breakfast before the two men would head out to work. Dora still lived at home, though she spend most of her time at the Auror Academy. She couldn't justify getting her own place where she would do nothing but sleep. Albie and Jeannie would be headed back to Hogwarts in less than a week, and after that it would just be the twins, Ronnie and Billie, at home during the day. Rose didn't think that it was particularly fair that the only trouble maker she'd given birth to, Ronnie, was the only one of her children to have a twin – a twin that would do anything his brother asked him to. Ronnie was the leader, and Billie was the follower, though Rose thought that Billie was the smarter of the two.

To avoid the insanity that came from being related to the Golden trio, Hugo and his long time boyfriend Giles actually lived in America. There was a small Wizarding Town in south Arizona, and it was quite close to the city of Tucson, where there was a booming gay scene. Both men preferred their privacy, though they took Portkeys back home often enough.

James and Susanna had done pretty well for themselves. James worked with his Uncle George at _Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes_, with the intention of taking over the shop totally when George eventually passed away. Susanna, despite being very intelligent, had never worked. She had gotten through about half of her Healer Training before she'd married James. She'd gotten pregnant shortly after that with Jimmy, and by the time he was born James was making enough working for his uncle that they'd decided to just let Susanna be a stay home mom. She wasn't a Molly Weasley, but she was a great mother to Jimmy, Vivian, and Quinn. The kids adored her.

Albus and Kate, the resident Slytherins, were both in politics. Albus had made Undersecretary to the Minister when Shacklebolt was in office, and his father, Harry, was just Head of the Auror department. When Harry had become Minister, Albus had thought it best to step down, but his father had almost begged him not to. Harry had never been great at understanding of the nuances of politics, though his Slytherin son was the resident expert on the subject. His wife, Kate, was on the Wizengamot, and together they had considerable political power. Malfoy level power, Harry had once tried to explain to his daughter, Lily.

Lily Potter was the family goofball. Clumsy, outspoken, and sexually open minded, she rented a small flat in London, but was rarely there of late. She and her current girlfriend, Amanda Hooch, had been doing a lot of traveling recently. They were back in town for the end of summer family bash, but right after the Hogwarts term began, they were off to visit Giles and Hugo in America for a while.

Amanda had been an oopsy baby – illegitimate daughter of Scorpius Malfoy. She had her mother's name, but her father had made certain she'd never have to work a day, despite the fact that he refused to publicly claim her. Though he would not tarnish the Malfoy name by admitting to cheating on his wife, he did love his daughter, and Amanda knew it. She'd lived pretty much under the radar until Simon McGonagall, her best friend from Hogwarts, had introduced her to his older cousin, Lily. Twenty four years in age difference hadn't bothered Amanda one bit when she'd fallen head over heals for Lily Potter.

Simon, though quite the matchmaker, had a hell of a time finding a lasting relationship. Most of the time things ended because the girl couldn't handle dating the son of their former Headmistress, Hermione Granger, and Minerva McGonagall, who was well known as one of the most powerful witches is the world, who would do anything to protect those she loved. Currently, he was dating the young Vivian Potter. They were technically related through various marriages, but not by blood. That had been a bit weird for him in the beginning, though over the course of the three months they'd now been together, he was starting to love the fact that his mum and mother didn't scare her one bit.

Harry Potter stood, and yawned. "Well folks," he said. "I'm headed out. I've got to get in to the office early tomorrow to find out who won the election." He was referring to the Muggle Prime Minister election going on right now. Once the new Minister was settled in his or her office, it would be Harry's duty to go explain the Wizarding World to them.

Hermione stood also. "We should all start clearing out," she said, nodding to Minerva. "I'm sure you're about ready to get the twins in bed, Rose."

Rose nodded. "Yea, mum. A few blissful hours of quiet, coming right up."

Hermione smiled at her daughter. "Let me know how that works for you," she winked.

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, this chapter is shorter...actually most of my chapters are about 2000 words...I just got a bit carried away in the first chapter for this story. This chapter has more action, though, so hopefully you guys like it. A few old faces, and a few new. Just so you know what to expect, from this point forward most chapters will be split in three sections** - **one from either Hermione or Minerva's point of view, one from Harry Potter's point of view, and a third from Quinn Potter (James Potter's youngest) I think that by doing this, you'll get an adult perspective from Hogwarts, an adult perspective from the Ministry, and a child's perspective on the whole nine yards. Hopefully, this will give a well rounded reading experience. ****THANKS!**

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><p>It was August 31st. Tomorrow, students would arrive at Hogwarts School of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for the new school year. On what hand, Minerva was glad of this. All her years of life at this point had not tainted her love for teaching. On the other hand, she knew that in the weeks to come, she and Hermione would have little time for each other.<p>

"Hermione?" Minerva said, walking into the Head's office.

Hermione looked up from her desk. "Hey there," she smiled. "I'm almost done with the last of the paperwork that needs done before tomorrow. I presume you have something planning for our evening?"

Minerva raised her eyebrows. "Oh, nothing special. Just a night in," she said innocently.

The hungry look in Hermione's told Minerva that her partner knew exactly what this night in would consist of. "I'll meet you in our quarters as soon as I can."

"Once you arrive, I will not allow you to leave again till tomorrow morning," Minerva warned.

Hermione giggled. "I love it when you act possessive."

Minerva rolled her eyes and made her way towards the office door. "See you soon, love."

Hermione arrived in their quarters only fifteen minutes after Minerva, but the older woman was ready for her. Candles and the gentle flicker of flames coming from the fireplace lit the room dimly. The older witch was wearing a red, silk nightgown, and with a flick of her wand, Hermione was wearing something quite similar.

"Oh Minerva," Hermione said, walking into her spouse's open arms. "I love you."

"And I you," Minerva mumbled in reply, deeply inhaling her partner's scent. This was their night. Their tradition. Thirty years ago on this very eve, they had conceived their son, Simon.

"What's for dinner?" Hermione asked softly.

"First course, you," Minerva quipped. "Second course, steaks, fresh green beans, baked potatoes. Third course, more of you. Dessert, Coconut Cream Pie."

"Yum," Hermione said with a grin. "Best get on with it then, shall we?"

Minerva nodded, and leaned forward to capture Hermione's lips with her own. The just kissed and held each other for a few moments, and then Hermione pushed her tongue in Minerva's open mouth. The older woman needed no further encouragement, and she slipped her hands under the short skirt of Hermione's gown and touched the bare skin below. A few gentle caresses later, Minerva's hand made its way between Hermione's legs, and a moment later, both woman moaned.

"Bed. Now." Hermione demanded.

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><p>Harry Potter checked his watch. The new Muggle Prime Minister, Arthur Byron, had been sworn into office almost an hour ago now. Any minute, the man would be entering his new office, and Harry would be off to greet him, and inform him of the existence of the Wizarding World. He was actually kind of nervous about it, as this was the first time he'd ever told a Muggle about his kind.<p>

Harry had spoken with Hermione about it this morning – as Headmistress for the last thirty two years, his best friend had told dozens of Muggles the truth of things, as was required of her each time a muggleborn witch or wizard came of Hogwarts age. She had told Harry that sometimes it went well, and sometimes it went badly, and there was no way to know what to expect. That had not been very encouraging.

She had also told him that the best course of action was to tell them as little of the bad stuff as one could without being too obviously evasive. He should say things like "Yes, the Wizarding World does have crime," but not "The last War we had nearly enslaved our kind". Or "Yes, there are plenty of other muggleborn witches and wizards your child will know", but not "There are also plenty of pureblood maniacs around who will taunt and tease your child about their Muggle heritage." Yes, that make sense to Harry.

"The Prime Minister has arrived in his office," a portrait on the wall, which had a second frame in the Muggle Prime Minister's office, informed Harry.

"Thank you," Harry said. "Is he alone?"

"Yes," the portrait snapped, as if Harry had asked the stupidest question in the world.

"Hey Dean!" Harry called at the Floo.

Dean Thomas, a former classmate of Harry's, popped his head through the flames. Dean had taken over as Head of the Auror Department when Harry had taken over as Minister. "Yea Harry?"

"I'm getting ready to go meet the new Muggle Prime Minister. If you don't hear from me within an hour, come rescue me, alright?"

Dean frowned. "Expecting problems?"

Harry shrugged. "No reason to be, but I just have a bad feeling. Last time I felt like this six Aurors and I were walking into an ambush. Three of them died."

Dean nodded. "Trust your gut, Harry. I'll go ahead and put a team together on standby. In fact, if I don't hear from you in ten minutes, I'm coming after you. In an hour you could be dead."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm meeting one Muggle, how bad could it be?"

"Even one Muggle, under the Imperious, can be a major threat."

Harry chucked. "Constant vigilance, right? Merlin Dean, you're channeling Mad-Eye Moody!"

Harry turned and stepped into the fireplace. Moments later he appeared in the Prime Minister's office. It was dark except for a small desk lamp, and a man, presumably Arthur Byron, sad behind the desk.

"Mr. Byron," Harry began, "I am…"

"Harry Potter," a rather high, nasally voice finished. "Minister of Magic. Vanquisher of the Dark Wizard, Voldemort. Husband of Ginny. Father of three. Grandfather of five, or, if you count the Lupins, of eleven."

Harry's jaw fell. "How did you…?"

"My great-grandfather was Prime Minister," the short, bald man said. "And when I was a boy, he told me about your kind. The rest of was just a matter of research."

Byron stood, and pulled a gun from his desk drawer. "You are not welcome here, wizard. Not in this office, not in this world. Any last words?"

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><p>Quinn Potter pushed his cart through the barrier at Platform 9 and ¾. He was greeted by the loud whistle of the Hogwarts Express, and the voice of his mother calling for him to join the rest of the family.<p>

"Coming!" Quinn said, pushing his cart forward to where his mother, Uncle Teddy, Aunt Rose, and his cousins Albie, Jeannie, Ronnie and Billie were waiting. A second glance revealed his Uncle Albus as well, and Quinn's other cousins, Helen and Will.

"Hey everyone," he said.

"Yo, little cous," Albie said with a smile. Though he was two years older, Quinn had always gotten along with Albie, odd as the now seventh year was.

"Is your father coming?" Helen asked, looking back toward the platform entrance.

"Your Uncle James had to stay at the shop this morning," Susanna, Quinn's mother, answered. "Uncle George was not feeling well today."

It was the same question, and same answer as every year before, Quinn mused. Today was the day that Percy's son had died – and every year since then Uncle George would take the day off to be with his brother, and leave Quinn's father in charge of the shop. No one in the family talked about Lance anymore. Had he lived, he would have been Quinn's older brother's age. Quinn had only been six when he died, and by the time he was old enough to ask the question, 'What happened to him?' everyone in the family had told him to just shut up and not pry. All he had been able to find out in the years since was that it was shortly after he died that Uncle Percy's Muggle wife had left him. Quinn figured the two were connected, but he had no clue as to how.

"Where's Aunt Kate?" Quinn asked.

"Mum and Dad had a row last night," Will whispered. "She was still mad at him this morning."

Albus Potter, who had heard the quiet exchange between the cousins, shifted uncomfortably. "Let's get you gets loaded one the train," he said quickly.

Quinn, along with Will, Helen, Albie and Jeannie all took hold of their carts and started pushing them toward the train door. The twins, Ronnie and Billie, would not be starting Hogwarts until next year. By then, Helen and Albie would have graduated and Quinn would be starting his sixth year.

Will and Jeannie were the first to load their belongings, glued by the hips together, as usual. Quinn got along with his cousins well enough, but he wasn't really part of their social group. Like his Uncle Albus, Quinn didn't care much for Quidditch, and as Will and Jeannie were both seekers on their House teams, they rarely spoke of anything else. Quinn had always been the odd man out among the cousins, and he didn't have many friends at Hogwarts either. A loner, his dad called him. On the other hand, it was hard to be a true loaner when one carried the surname Potter. Being the grandson of the Savior of the Wizarding World came with instant fame and high expectations.

The only teachers at Hogwarts that didn't seem to think that he should be everything Harry Potter was were the Headmistress, who also happened to be his great-aunt, and Professor McGonagall, also his great-aunt, through marriage to Aunt Hermione. The two of them were family, and therefore knew Quinn well enough to just let him be himself, not under the shadow of the great Harry Potter.

Two years ago, when Quinn's grandfather had gone and become Minister of Magic, the first day of Hogwarts had been a nightmare. Half the students wanted him to get Harry's autograph, and the other half wanted to kill him because they'd wanted someone else to be Minister. By lunch time, Quinn had faked being sick and gone to the Hospital Wing. Within an hour, Aunt Minerva had come down to talk to him. She always seemed to know the truth of things, about why he was so upset. Quinn just didn't like crowds. After that incident, Aunt Minerva had encouraged him to get to know Professor Longbottom better. The Deputy Head had been a friend of his grandfather's during school, and like Quinn, had been socially out of place and awkward. In reality, Professor Longbottom was the closest thing Quinn had to a best friend.

"Quinn, come on sweetie!" his mother called. "Train's leaving!"

Quinn looked up and realized that in his musings, all his cousins had already said farewell to the adults and gotten on the train. "Bye mum," Quinn said, as she pulled him into a tight hug.

"Write when you get there?" Susanna Potter asked.

"Of course," he whispered. "Love you, mum."

Quinn hopped on the train as it was starting to pull away. He turned back and looked at his mother waving on the platform. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he got a sick feeling in his gut. Before Quinn could even digest what it might mean, the train lurched as it cleared the platform and started picking up speed. He pulled his head inside, and bad feeling forgotten, he went in search of a compartment, preferably an empty one, to sit in.

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><p><strong>Please review!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**I am SO on a roll, guys! I've got about the first ten chapters all planned out - just have to write them. After that...well I'm sure I can figure something out. This is the chapter in which 'the ball gets rolling'. I ask you to pay special attention to the Sorting Hat's song in this chapter - its based off the song from year four of the books, but I modified part of it, and added some more verses. It will give you clues as to what is to come. A few other points of interest:**

*** In the last chapter, we met the new Muggle Prime Minister. When I got the idea for his character, I pictured the actor Wallace Shawn. You may recognize him from 'The Princess Bride'. We will see this guy off and on throughout the story, so keep that picture and whiny ass voice in your head. :)**

*** In the course of these first three chapters, I've peppered in hint after hint of what my new favorite TV show is. Brownie points to anyone who can find the clues and guess the show - HINT: The lead actress in _this_ show also played a lead in a sci-fi show that ran for ten years. :-D**

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><p>Professor Hermione Granger sat at the Head table and watched as the Great Hall started filling with students. In a few minutes, Minerva would be bringing the first years in, and the Sorting would begin. Traditionally, this job was left for the Deputy, but as Minerva had done it for years and years under Albus Dumbledore, and Neville preferred to be surrounded by plants when dealing with children, Minerva had continued on in that role.<p>

Hermione glanced down the Head Table at the rest of her Professors. While Minerva had returned to teach Transfiguration, she shared the post with her cousin, Nero McGonagall. Nero took first through fifth years, and got the students through their OWLS. Minerva had sixth and seventh years, as well as an extra elective for those advanced students who wished to become Animagi.

To Hermione's shock and amazement, Professor Flitwick's appointment of Draco Malfoy as the Charms Professor, the year before he passed away, had indeed been a good choice. This would be Draco's thirty forth year as a professor. He was also Head of Slytherin House, a post which had been once held by his godfather, Severus Snape. Draco had once told Hermione that it had been Severus' encouragement that got Draco to apply for the charms post, all those years ago.

Severus' other former post of Potions Professor was currently held by Cecilia Magnus. Cecilia had been teaching at Hogwarts for fifteen years now, and was Head of Ravenclaw House. She was young, comparatively, only in her mid forties. The dark haired London native also helped teach the Dueling Club, open to 5th Years and above.

The other Dueling Club teacher was the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Viktor Krum. Victor and Hermione had become friends years ago when he was at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. He had moved to England to take the post at Hermione's request, twenty years ago. It had only been supposed to be a one year assignment, as a favor to Hermione, but after that year Viktor had asked if he might stay indefinitely. Hermione was more that pleased to grant his request.

Care of Magical Creatures was still taught by Hagrid. In addition to his old Gamekeeping duties, and his teaching post, Hagrid was also the resident caretaker, and had been since Argus Filch had finally kicked the bucket ten years after the war. Hogwarts was his home. It had been since he was a child, and always would be, so far as Hermione was concerned. His Giant blood kept him almost as young as the Vampirism kept Hermione and Minerva.

Muggle Studies was taught by another of Hermione's former classmates – Seamus Finnegan. Seamus had come to teach at Hogwarts after his wife died giving birth to their son, Henry. Henry Finnegan had grown up here at Hogwarts, and was now a seventh year, and best friend to Hermione's grandson, Albie Lupin. The two Gryffindors had been friends since they were toddlers. Seamus also held the position of Head of Gryffindor House, which he claimed to be beyond awkward since his own former Head of House, Minerva McGonagall, was still on staff. Minerva told him that she was semi retired, so he should not feel bad.

The final head of house, for Hufflepuff, was the History of Magic Professor, Kent Ology. He had only been on staff about four years now. Prior to that, the post had remained filled by Professor Binns the ghost. Hermione would have been fine to keep Binns, but one day he had a bit of a breakdown, finally realizing he was dead. He still resided in the castle, but he no longer wished to teach. He called it "retiring". Professor Ology had been a welcome addition to Hermione's staff, and quite suddenly History of Magic became less of a dreaded subject. He knew how to make the subject fun.

The last post, Divination, was filled by frenchman Jean Luc Décor. A distant cousin of Hermione's former sister-in-law Fleur, Jean Luc was one of the few true Empaths that Hermione had ever met. His Empathy stretched just enough beyond reading feelings to be able to sense when something good or bad was about to happen. He didn't quite qualify as a seer, but Hermione had never given two hoots about the prophetic, so she didn't care.

With a smile, Hermione head Minerva call for attention, as the new first years filed in. She turned her attention from her staff to the students before her, and the Sorting Hat which had been placed on its customary stool.

_A thousand years or more ago _  
><em> when I was newly sewn, <em>  
><em> there lived four wizards you well know, <em>  
><em> From which our world was grown: <em>  
><em> bold Gryffindor, from wild moor, <em>  
><em> fair Ravenclaw, from glen, <em>  
><em> sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad, <em>  
><em> shrewd Slytherin, from fen. <em>  
><em> They shared a wish, a hope, a dream, <em>  
><em> they hatched a daring plan <em>  
><em> to protect and teach old and young <em>  
><em> thus Hogwarts School began. <em>

_Now each of these four founders _  
><em> formed their own families <em>  
><em> Each valued different virtues <em>  
><em> in the ones they had to teach. <em>  
><em> By Gryffindor, the bravest were <em>  
><em> Prized far beyond the rest; <em>  
><em> For Ravenclaw, the cleverest <em>  
><em> would always be the best; <em>  
><em> For Hufflepuff, hard workers were <em>  
><em> Most worthy of attention; <em>  
><em> And power-hungry Slytherin <em>  
><em> loved those of great ambition. <em>

_While still alive they did divide _  
><em> Their favorites from the throng, <em>  
><em> Yet how to pick the worthy ones <em>  
><em> When they were dead and gone?<em>

_And who would know the history_

_Truths buried deep by time?_

_Who would advise the Ministry_

_When things weren't going right? _  
><em> Sly Slytherin had the idea<em>

_To let a simple object choose_

_Unbiased and knowing much_

_When the people were confused._

_ 'Twas Gryffindor who found the way, _  
><em> He whipped me off his head <em>  
><em> The founders put some brains in me <em>  
><em> So I could choose instead!<em>

_Hufflepuff was the one_

_Who made me loyal to a fault_

_Gryffindor said with all the gold_

_Bravery could not be bought _

_Ravenclaw gave all the wisdom_

_And knowledge she possessed_

_Slytherin told me when to speak_

_And when to keep my mouth shut_

_ So slip me snug about your ears, _  
><em> I've never yet been wrong, <em>  
><em> I'll have a look inside your mind <em>  
><em> And tell where you belong!<em>

* * *

><p>Quinn Potter sat at the Ravenclaw table, next to his three dorm mates. He didn't quite call them friends, but it was as good as it got for him. Tso Chang was a quiet guy, like Quinn. Both boys enjoyed Herbology, and they often studied together, or paired up when classes like Potions required partners.<p>

Ty Pennington was quiet the opposite of Quinn and Tso – he was loud, charismatic, and had allowed his natural intelligence to fuel his ego. However, he was also quite good at Defense Against the Dark Arts, a subject which Quinn and Tso struggled with. Ego aside, Ty was a decent enough guy, and was always available to help his dorm mates with Defense homework. Granted, he was dismal at Herbology, so Quinn and Tso, in turn, helped him with that.

The final of Quinn's dorm mates was Devon Sanders. A muggleborn, Devon often talked about the fact that he was the first Wizard in a family of cooks. Granted, he did still love food, and had a good relationship with the House Elves at Hogwarts, and was always in charge of nicking food from the kitchens when they four boys wanted a study break snack.

Quinn listened carefully to the Sorting Hat's song. Every year it was different, and if one listen carefully, it often predicted something that was to come. It was a wonder the Sorting Hat didn't teach Divination, not that Professor Décor was bad or anything. Quinn had not been in any of his classes thus far, but that was changing this year. His mother had talked him into taking Divination, as one of his electives. When she'd suggested it, she'd been using her 'I know something you don't know' tone of voice – a tone of voice that Quinn had learned to trust.

" _And who would know the history_

_Truths buried deep by time?_

_Who would advise the Ministry_

_When things weren't going right?"_

"That doesn't sound good," Quinn muttered.

"What doesn't sound good, mate?" Tso asked.

"The Sorting Hat is talking about buried secrets and such," Quinn said, nodding his head toward the front of the Great Hall. "I was just thinking – you know how the Sorting Hat predicts stuff sometimes – that it sounds like some big secret is gunna come out this year."

"But it was talking about the Ministry," Tso argued. "What kind of secret would effect Hogwarts and the Ministry? They haven't had anything to do with each other since before Professor Granger took over as Headmistress. And that was, like, forever ago."

Quinn chuckled. "My grandma is only eight-two."

"That's ancient, dude," Ty whispered.

"She doesn't look nearly that old," Devon pointed out. "She's actually pretty hot, for an old lady."

"And taken," Quinn pointed out.

"Who's her husband?" Ty asked. "I didn't know she was married or anything."

Tso chukled. He was the only one of Quinn's dorm mates who knew the truth. It wasn't that Quinn wasn't allowed to tell people, he just didn't go out of his way to do so. Hermione and Minerva didn't go around hiding the fact that they were married, but they didn't shove it down people's throats, either.

"Wife," Quinn corrected. "My grandpa died when I was little. My grandma is now married to Professor Minerva McGonagall."

"Holy shit!" Ty exclaimed, looking dumbstruck towards the Headmistress and the Upper Transfiguration Professor. They wouldn't have her in a class till next year.

Quinn caught his grandmother's eye, and she grinned. Leave it to her to know exactly what they were talked about. "I have a weird family tree," he admitted. "I'm sort of related to Professor Longbottom too. And Professor McG."

"Professor 'McG' was a nickname the students had for Nero McGonagall, as not to confuse the two McGonagalls, who both taught Transfiguration. Devon pointed out once that were this a public Muggle school, they would be addressing them 'Mr. McGonagall', or Ms. McGonagall', and that would clear things up. 'Professor' was a unisex title, and thus the nickname was born.

"How are you related to Professor Longbottom?" Devon wanted to know.

"Well, his son is my uncle's boyfriend," Quinn explained. "They've been together for longer than I've been alive, so they are more or less family."

"Ah," Devon nodded.

"A lot of queers in your family, Potter," Ty pointed out.

Quinn raised his eyebrows. "So?"

"Just sayin'," Ty shrugged. "I don't care one way or another, it's just weird to have so many in one family."

Suddenly, the welcoming feast appeared before them. Obviously, lost in conversation, the boys had missed the Headmistress' speech. Quinn grabbed a roll and took a bite. "I have a big family," he replied. The conversation ended there.

* * *

><p>Harry Potter had been Minister of Magic for two years now, been an Auror for more than fifty years before that, and had, with the help of Ron and Hermione, defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort before even graduating from Hogwarts. All of that said, today was the worst day he could ever have imagined.<p>

"Hermione!" he shouted, walking into the current Headmistress of Hogwarts' office. "We need to talk, right now!"

Hermione, along with her long time lover, Minerva, walked into the office from an adjoining room. "What is it, Harry?" Minerva asked.

"Aunt Min, Hermione, I just got out of a meeting with the new Muggle Prime Minister," Harry said, rubbing his temples. "Long story short, he apparently has evidence that the legendary Muggle, King Arthur, did experiments of some sort on Merlin, which is how he got his magic. According to said evidence, all wizards are descended from Merlin and four children he had with four different women. Our kind was created by Muggles, to be bred as some sort of super soldiers."

Hermione's eyes widened and horror. "You can't be serious!"

Minerva put her hands on Hermione's shoulders. "I don't think Harry's finished, love."

Harry tossed his wand onto a nearby table. "Obviously you haven't noticed that your wands no longer work?" he questioned. "The Muggles have created a toxin that destroys wand cores. It was released, an hour ago, all over the world, in a mass Muggle cooperative strike against Wizards. All we have left if wandless magic, and wards and previously spelled items, at least until they all decay. The Muggles plan to exterminate our kind."

Minerva and Hermione both stood there in shock.

"Ladies," Harry said with a great sigh. "We are at war."

* * *

><p><strong>Please Review! Thanks! <strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Time for another update! For starters, several of those who reviewed mentioned being addled by the family tree – I'm putting a summery of the facts/cast here at the beginning of this chapter, for your reference. This may or may not (I can't remember) actually include facts that I have not yet put into the story. It also may NOT include certain facts that I already HAVE out into the story. I typed this up for my reference, but, as per subtle request, it is now for your reference as well. **

* * *

><p>Teddy and Rose Lupin (both Gryffindors)<p>

* Remus, 23, works with his dad at _Secret Requirements_

* Dora, 20, final year at the Auror Academy, Gryffindor

* Albie, 16, 7th Year at Hogwarts, Gryffindor

* Jeannie, 13, 4th Year at Hogwarts, Gryffindor, Seeker

* Ronnie, 10, twin to Billie

* Billie, 10, twin to Ronnie

James and Susanna Potter (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw)

* Jimmy, 21, final year at the Auror Academy, Gryffindor

* Vivian, 17, just graduated Hogwarts, dating Simon McGonagall, Ravenclaw

* Quinn, 14, 5th Year at Hogwarts, Ravenclaw

Albus and Kate Potter (both Slytherins)

* Helen, 16, 7th Year at Hogwarts, Slytherin

* Will, 13, 4th Year at Hogwarts, Slytherin

Others

Giles Longbottom, long term boyfriend to Hugo Weasley

Hugo Weasley, long term boyfriend to Giles Longbottom

Neville and Luna Longbottom, parents of Giles

Harry and Ginny Potter, parents to James, Albus, and Lily

Hermione Granger, mother to Rose Lupin, Hugo Weasley, and Simon McGonagall

Minerva McGonagall, mother to Simon, life partner to Hermione Granger

Nero McGonagall, biological father to Simon McGonagall

Simon McGonagall, son of Hermione and Minerva, Gryffindor, Healer at St. Mungo's

Hogwarts Staff

Headmistress, Hermione Granger

Deputy Head, and Herbology, Neville Longbottom

Upper Transfiguration, Minerva McGonagall

Lower Transfiguration, Nero McGonagall

Charms, Draco Malfoy

Potions, Cecilia Magnus

Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid

Muggle Studies, Seamus Finnegan

Divination, Jean Luc Décor (distant relative of Fleur Delacour)

History of Magic, Kent Ology

Defense Against the Dark Arts, Victor Krum

Caretaker, Hagrid

**Okay, now the story!**

* * *

><p>"Hey mother," Simon McGonagall said. "Where's mum?"<p>

Minerva looked up from her desk. "Hermione, where are you?" she called.

"I could have done that," Simon said pointedly.

"Obviously," Minerva replied, with a hint of a smile. "She's not in a good mood. You have been warned."

Hermione walked into the room, ranting. "Harry how the hell did we not have any warning? Surely there must have been a sign! You're the Minister of Magic for crying out loud!"

Harry Potter followed her. "We had no bloody idea, Hermione. I'm as in shock as you are. When the hell did this become my fault, anyhow?"

"Hey mum, Uncle Harry," Simon said with a little wave. While in truth, Harry was actually Simon's great-nephew, through Harry's relation to Minerva, he had always called the older man 'Uncle', because of the brother-sister like relationship between Harry and Hermione. The look on Minerva's face the day Harry had told her about their relation had been quite amusing. The older witch would never forget the day all of her unanswered questions about her family history had been answered.

"Simon," Hermione acknowledged. "What are you doing here?"

"My wand isn't working," the younger man shrugged. "I thought maybe you could fix it."

Minerva smiled. On one hand, she was a little put off that Simon would ask Hermione and not her, but on the other hand, Hermione was one of the foremost experts on Wand Lore, having studied it a good deal after coming across the Elder Wand during the war with Voldemort. Minerva was proud of her spouse.

Hermione on the other hand, was not so thrilled at being consulted. "Gahh!" she groaned.

"Gah?" Simon asked.

"Your wand core has been destroyed," Hermione snapped. "It cannot be repaired. How the hell the bloody Muggles figured out how to do that is beyond me!"

"Muggles?" Simon asked, voice now laced with concern.

Minerva stepped in now. "Son, the Muggle Prime Minister has just informed your uncle that he was in charge of releasing a toxin that destroys wand cores. It does not cause harm to anything else, but it has, in manner of speaking, crippled our kind."

"Why?" Simon asked. The shock was evident in his tone, but he was putting on a good face. Those who didn't know him would accuse him of being insensitive at the present.

"It's a long story," Harry replied, "but in short, the Muggles as a whole are now being informed of our existence, and their armies, world wide, are being assembled to prepare for war. They plan to enslave Wizarding kind, or kill those unwilling to serve. It will become a massacre, on both sides."

"I don't think the world has ever seen such a war as this will be," Hermione whispered. "Wizards and Witches who cannot defend themselves wandlessly will be caught by surprise and murdered without remorse. We need to get the warning out, tell people to stay in their homes until they can be moved to safety."

Harry stood. "I need to get back to the Ministry. Hermione, I know as Minister I have no right to ask anything of you regarding Hogwarts, but as a friend, would you please go down to the Room of Requirement and see just how big you can think it into getting. All Aurors are required to be able to create a Portkey wandlessly, so I'm going to send everyone I can out, specifically to the Wizarding homes that are in Muggle neighborhoods, and move people to Hogwarts until better accommodations can be made."

"Certainly, Harry," Hermione said. "Simon, would you consent to assist me?" Simon had been living at Hogwarts since he was born, so he was quite familiar with the workings of the Room of Requirement.

"Of course, mum," the young man replied.

"Minerva?"

"Yes, love?" Minerva answered.

"I need you to go find Neville, Draco, Cecilia, Seamus, and Kent. Ask Neville to reinforce the wards – he's more than capable of doing so wandlessly. Get the Heads of Houses to gather all the students in the Great Hall. No over-sleepers, no stragglers. It's not even breakfast time yet; most probably haven't figured out their wands don't work yet. I'll make an announcement just before breakfast…" she looked at a clock on the wall "in an hour."

Minerva nodded, and stood to leave. "I'll see you then. Anything else?"

"Can you go speak to Rector – let him know what's going on? He and the other House Elves are not remotely bound by wands to use magic. They will be an invaluable asset in the days and weeks to come."

Harry couldn't help himself. "I knew there was a reason you founded SPEW," he chuckled.

Hermione glared. "Harold James Potter, that is not funny! I feel horrid asking anything more of them."

"You's do not need to asks, Headmistress," a new voice squeaked. Recor, the leader of the House elves here at Hogwarts, had appeared in the room. "We's already aware that your wands no longer workses. Rector and his families will help you's."

Hermione smiled at the little elf. He was the eldest among those at Hogwarts. He also happened to be the son of Dobby – the Elf who had idolized Harry when the now Minister had been at Hogwarts. Between the natural loyalty of a House Elf, and the bond they had through family ties, Rector had always gone above and beyond for Harry and Hermione's family – large as it was.

"Well, I guess that saves you a trip, Min," Hermione sighed. "Thank you, Rector. I will talk to you more about this later."

With that, Recor nodded and vanished. Minerva took her leave as well, headed out the door after kissing Hermione, off to find the Deputy and the four Heads of Houses.

* * *

><p>Harry trudged to the outer limits of the Hogwarts wards before Apparating back to the Ministry. Harry huffed as he sat down at his desk, feeling slightly winded. Sweet Merlin, age was certainly catching up to him. "Dean!" Harry called.<p>

Dean Thomas, head of the Auror department, walked into the office looking as spry as ever. "How do you stay fit?" Harry wanted to know.

"I didn't land a desk job, mate," Dean said, shaking his head at his former dorm mate.

"I need you to assemble every Auror you have, plus anyone else at the Ministry that you know can make a Portkeys wandlessly, and start going house to house, office to office, and evacuating them to Hogwarts. Hermione is already making arrangements. High risk people first, of course."

"Harry…" Dean paused before handing the Minister a roll of parchment. "Here is a list of currently known casualties. The current number for dead or missing is nearly four hundred. Reports are coming in from all over the place -the Muggles are moving faster than any of us could have expected. And its not just Muggle areas, Harry….Godric's Hollow was hit an hour ago."

Harry's head snapped up. "Ginny." He gasped, thinking of his wife who rarely left their home in Godric's Hallow. "I have to go," Dean. "You're in charge till I get back."

Dean nodded, and Harry turned to the fireplace. "Potter Manor!" he shouted at the flames, after throwing so Floo Powder in. Moments later he appeared in his home – his dark, quiet, and obviously disheveled home. Everything inside of him wanted to call out for his wife, but if there were still Muggles in the house, he was risking her life – _Oh please Gin, don't be dead already!_ – and his own.

Having more or less grown up during a war, Harry and Ginny had pre-selected several different hiding places in their home, to use in case of emergency. Granted, growing up the kids had used those places for hide and seek, but now it was just he and Ginny again. The first place Ginny would have gone if there had been intruders would have been the Deep Vaults. Harry made his way to the staircase leading to the basement.

Laying the bottom of the staircase was a body. Harry rushed down the staircase, turning on the light with a thought. Laying in a pool of her own blood and white as a ghost, was Susanna Potter, James' wife. Dead. Jimmy, Vivian, and Quinn no longer had a mother.

Harry fought back the tears welling up in his eyes. He shook his head and looked around the rest of the room. Two men, dressed in military garb, lay sprawled out on the floor to his left. They looked like they had been beat over the head with something hard. Bludgeoned to death. With a Beater's club, Harry concluded, noting the small bat laying on the ground a few feet away.

And then, Harry spotted Ginny.

* * *

><p>Quinn sat quietly in the Ravenclaw Common Room with the rest of his Housemates. No one was talking much. It was nearly noon, but no one seemed to care if they got lunch or not. At breakfast, the Headmistress had informed everyone that the Muggles had declared war on the Wizarding kind, and they were in the process of their first strike.<p>

That was why no one's wands were working. And that was why everyone was so quite. Everyone in the school had loved ones that were unaccounted for. Everyone was waiting for news. The Headmistress had made it no secret that a lot of them could loose one or both parents today, or older siblings.

The door to the common room swung opened with only the slightest noise, but every single student took notice and looked up. James Potter stepped in the room, and met his son's eyes.

"Jimmy? Viv?" Quinn asked desperately.

"Both okay," his father croaked out.

"Mum?" the young Ravenclaw whispered, a sour feeling settling in his gut.

James shook his head, and tears began to form in his eyes. "No." was all he managed.

Quinn felt himself being pulled toward his father. _Dead?_ he thought. "No," he gasped.

"She's gone, Quinn," James said between sobs. "I'm sorry, son."

With no further hope of denial, Quinn's body collapsed in his father's arms, and he began to cry. His mum had left them.

* * *

><p><strong>So…is Ginny dead, or not? <strong>

**Please review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey people. ****Things should start to pick up a bit after this chapter - I realize this has been a slow start, but I felt that the mass of characters needed to be developed more before I started confusing you more with my twisted plot ideas.**

* * *

><p>Hermione pressed her forehead to her desk and counted to ten. All week she had been getting Owl after Owl from concerned parents wanting to withdraw their children – mostly from the older, pureblood families who were safe enough remaining in their own homes for now, with preset wards much like Hogwarts had. About fifty percent of the students now had some or all of their families residing here in the castle. The Room of Requirement had been pushed to its limit, now housing about six hundred men, women, and young children. Some of the larger families had started vacating empty classrooms and guest quarters as well, so they could stay together. Hermione had reserved those accommodations for Hogwarts students who had lost a parent. A few had even lost both parents, and were now spending time with grandparents, aunts, and uncles.<p>

Draco Malfoy had opened Malfoy Manor up to even more war refugees – but those who were staying there were people with no close relatives currently attending Hogwarts. "My house is turning into an old folks home," Draco had said the other day, after reporting back to Hermione on the current count of people residing there.

Even with Minerva's help, Hermione's hand was aching from all the letters she'd written over the last few days. Currently, however, Minerva was checking in on the Potter family. Both Susanna and Ginny Potter had been killed a week ago. A few other names had stuck out on the casualty list that Harry had showed her, but those were the two that struck close to home. Ginny had been her dear friend for more than half a century, and her best friend's wife. Hermione had actually introduced Susanna to James Potter, some years ago. Like Hermione had started out with Minerva, Susanna had been Hermione's protégé, her pride and joy, who she had loved like a daughter.

James was here at the Castle with Quinn, mourning the loss of the wife and mother. Quinn's siblings, pure Potters that they were, had chosen to help their Grandfather at the Ministry. Harry had issued emergency graduate degrees for the upperclassmen of the Auror Academy, and young Jimmy had been among them. He was currently one of the Aurors in charge of the defense of Malfoy Manor. Vivian was staying at St. Mungo's with Simon. Simon was a Healer there, and as the climate was currently 'all hands on deck', the Administrators of the Wizarding Hospital had not turned her down when she offered to remain and help with triage.

Hermione worried about Harry – the man had just lost his wife, and daughter-in-law, and as Minister of Magic he was not at liberty to stop and mourn. Thousands of people depending on him to keep them safe, and Merlin knows he was trying.

Like Harry, Hermione had little time to mourn at the present. Running a school was no longer even in her mind – she was running at safe house. In a few weeks, when things were a little less chaotic, Hermione felt that Hogwarts should return to its normal routine of educating young witches and wizards. In light of that, the big problem was what to do with all the people in the castle. There was no way the kids could be expected to learn a thing when the classrooms were serving as temporary homes; for that matter the cheer volume of noise that now floated down the stone halls would distract even the most dedicated students.

Hard as it would be with minimal magic, Hermione had concluded the best option would be to build a sort of apartment building on the Hogwarts Grounds, northwest of the Quidditch Pitch, on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. That side of the forest was mostly occupied by Unicorns; and anyone with a half a brain would know better than to try to get close to them. If left alone, the Unicorns would not harm anyone. That area was still inside the wards, so it would be protected, but it was out of the way enough that it would not interfere with the day to day happenings at Hogwarts. If people residing there felt cooped up, they would be free to use the Quidditch Pitch, or walk down to Hogsmead. Yesterday, Hermione and Neville had worked to wandlessly expand the protection of the wards to cover Hogsmead. It had been exhausting, but at least Hermione didn't have the headache of wondering if the little town would be attacked. Secluded as it was up here in the mountains, Muggles would eventually have found it, and once Hogsmead was taken, Hogwarts would be at risk. As long as the wards held, Muggles could not see anything but a ruin where the castle really stood, but that would not stop bullets harming people once the Muggles realized they couldn't trust their eyes.

"Hermione, love?"

"Yes, Minerva?" Hermione said, sitting back up.

"James and Quinn are both settled in for the night, and I've done your rounds for you," Minerva replied quietly. "Neville asked if there will still be a staff meeting tomorrow. It's not like we have the first week of school to discuss, so I didn't know what to tell him."

Hermione sighed. "We'll still have the meeting. I sent an Owl to Teddy Lupin a bit ago, asking him to come to the castle for it tomorrow. I'm going to put him in charge of building an apartment building of sorts, down by the Quidditch Pitch, to house all these people."

"Why?" Minerva inquired. "We're doing okay with everyone at the castle. A wee tight, for sure, but manageable."

"I realize this may sound cold, but I cannot run a school with hundreds of extra people about. Despite the circumstances, we need to do out jobs and educate these children," Hermione replied crisply.

Minerva nodded. "I don't disagree. We didn't stop teaching you when Voldemort was on the loose, either. I had thought you'd decide to wait a bit longer before pushing people out the door, though."

Hermione crossed her arms. "I won't push anyone out until I have somewhere more comfortable to push them into. If construction starts tomorrow, it's still going to be weeks until it's ready. By the time it's ready, the people will be too. I don't want a castle full of people at each other's throats once emotional strain starts to cut tempers short."

"Very valid point," Minerva agreed. "There's has been enough violence already."

The Headmistress nodded in agreement. "We will have the staff meeting at nine tomorrow morning, as usual. Teddy will be there as my guest, and we'll also discuss plans for altering our curriculum to accommodate the current lack of wands. I am open to any suggestions on that front, and if anyone happens to have any brain waves on where we can get working wands, I will give them all the gold I have in Gringots."

Minerva chuckled. "Fine then. Are you ready for bed?"

Hermione stood. "I need to go talk to Rector about what the Elves will be willing or able to do in regard to the building project. If you'll go tell Neville and the rest of the staff that we will indeed be having the meeting in he morning, I'll meet you in bed in half an hour."

Minerva nodded. "Okay, dear, see you shortly."

"Oh, and Minerva?"

"Yes?" the older woman asked, spinning on her heels and turning back to face Hermione.

"You are getting laid tonight," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Minerva smiled smugly. "Obviously."

* * *

><p>Quinn woke with a start. He'd fallen asleep next to his dad in the bed, and James' current trashing had stirred him. "Dad," he whispered.<p>

"Suz…" James panted. "Please…no…stay…I can't…"

"Dad!" Quinn said a bit louder, shaking his father's shoulder.

James' eyes flew open. He stared into the darkness for a few more seconds before he replied. "Quinn?"

"I'm here dad," Quinn replied quietly. "You had a nightmare."

"I'm sorry; you shouldn't have had to see me…"

"It's okay, dad." Quinn assured his father. "Everyone has bad dreams."

James looked at Quinn thoughtfully. "You're so strong, Quinn. You got that from her, from your mum."

Quinn regarded his father's comment with care. He didn't think he was strong. His father was there, crying his eyes out, being open and honest like he'd always told Quinn and his brother a man should be. _'Never think emotion makes you less of a man.'_ James had often said. But Quinn had not cried since the day he found out his mother was dead. He was plagued with guilt because he had ignored his feelings when he'd watched his mum wave goodbye at the train station.

She had gone over to visit Grandma Ginny after dropping him off at King's Cross. His gut had told him something was wrong, and he'd let a stupid bump in the road push the feeling away. If he'd just sent her an Owl from the train, she might have never gone to Godric's Hallow. Or if he'd just hugged her a bit longer and missed the train, she'd have been at Hogwarts instead, dropping him off there. It was his fault she was gone.

_Jimmy and Vivian must know_, Quinn thought. _That's why they're not here_._ They hate me now. _

"Son?" James' voice interrupted the fourteen year old's thoughts.

"Sorry, just thinking." Quinn mumbled.

"About what?"

"Nothing," the boy said quickly, pulling away. "I'm going for a walk."

"It's six in the morning, Quinn."

"I'm going for a walk!" he said again, grabbing a cloak and walking out of the door without another word.

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><p>Harry sat at his desk, desperately wishing he was elsewhere. An Owl fluttered in his window, a small tawny one which was owned by Harry's Muggle cousin, Dudley Dursley. While his Aunt and Uncle had never spoken to him again, after the night he left when he was seventeen, his cousin and he had kept in touch over the years. About once a month Harry would get a letter from Dudley, which he'd reply to happily.<p>

On one hand, he wished the damn Owl would turn around and leave – if Dudley was just Owling to tell Harry about some dumb problem he had with his egotistical boss (Dudley had gone on to become a Genetics Professor, of all shocking things. Turns out he did have a brain.) then Harry was in no mood to hear it. His wife had died a week ago. His Ginny. And Susanna…oh, poor James.

On the other hand, perhaps it would be a welcome distraction. Dudley had developed a wit to rival Severus Snape's over the years, and his antics were often funny enough to put a silver lining into the worst days. And so, Harry opened the letter.

_Dear Harry, _

_I am shocked and appalled at the actions of our new Prime Minister. Enslaving wizards? Where does that bastard get off? I realize you are probably busy as hell right now, so I'll skip the 'I want you to know I'm on your side' rant, and get right to the point. _

_I realize that your mother was what they call 'Muggle born', but I'm seriously beginning to doubt that was entirely true. Part of why I got into Genetics, I'm not sure if I've ever told you, was because I wanted to better understand the differences between Wizards and Muggles. It seems my theories regarding there actually being a 'magical gene' are leaning towards correct. _

_My grandson, Abram, is showing signs of magical ability. It's not so much that his parents (my son and his wife) are noticing anything, but after growing up with you and all the contracting I do with your world (apparently it does pay to be related to the boy who lived!), I just know what to look for. I've caught him changing the color on his crayons (and his parents just assume he picked up a different crayon), and jumping out of trees safely, from a height that would have broken a Muggle child's legs (his parents call that luck), and other such things. He's just turned ten a month ago…so I know he wouldn't get his Hogwarts letter till next year, but with the current state of things…_

_Harry, I realize this is asking a lot, but my son and his wife think this new Minister walks on water, and if they figure out Abram is a Wizard, I'm not bloody sure what they would do. There is a massacre going on, as I'm sure you are aware, and I am worried sick for the boy. I was wondering if you would take Abram under your protection. Or Hermione. Or anyone you would trust with him. Even if his parents don't find out, and next year comes and I was able to somehow make them think he was invited to some other boarding school…it would be inevitable that they, and others would figure out. Half of what has kept your kind safe till now was the fact that the mass of the population didn't know you existed. Now…I don't think Abram will live to become a teenager if he does not leave the Muggle world right now. _

_I have not spoken to him about wizards, or anything I'm suggesting. Abram is set to come visit me next weekend, and one way or another, preferably this way, I plan to make him disappear. I'll tell my son he was kidnapped from the park or something…I don't care if he hates me forever, so long as Abram is safe. If only I'd finished getting my head out of my ass before I married his mother, perhaps my son would be as kind and understanding as his son (where he got his good nature from, I'll never know, as his mother is just as much of a prick as my son.)_

_I await your reply by Owl,_

_Dudley _

"Well that was unexpected," Harry muttered, pulling out a piece of parchment to send his reply to Dudley. Of course he'd help – at the rate the casualty list was growing, the Wizarding world would need to save every soul they could just to keep themselves from not going extinct.

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><p><strong>Please review! Seriously guys, 4 chapters up with a total of 12 reviews. That's not exactly encouraging. *sad face*<strong> **Hoping for better results with chapter 5!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey y'all! Thanks for reviews, and before you get the next chapter, I'll answer a few questions that came up.**

**1: I killed Ginny. Yes, I'm sorry about that. My reasons are mostly based around a need for other characters (Harry, Quinn, and Hermione in particular) to get the fuel that one only gets when someone they love is killed. Also I felt that being an 80-something year old witch who is so famous she hardly goes out anymore made her a character I would do next to nothing with in the course of my story. She just happened to be the one cannon character that if I killed, it would have the highest impact on the characters who are the center of my story. I had to kill someone…also, there's a clue in this chapter as to why else I might have killed her. *wicked grin***

**2: Kuddos to "mxrolkr" for guessing one of my plot points way ahead of schedule! You are quite right, Abram Dursley will indeed play a very special role in my story. As will his grandfather. **

**3: The only thing that the toxin destroys is wand cores. It has no effect on magic as a whole (thus the wards and such are still holding) I actually got the idea from an episode of a show I've recently become addicted to…the same show I hinted at before, but no one has yet to guess what it is. Another hint: it started as a web series. So, in reference to the question "will this affect their [Minerva and Hermione's] Vampirism?", the answer is a solid no. The fact that they are vampires has nothing to do with wands, but rather genetics. Minerva was bit during the Battle of Hogwarts, and she bit Hermione. Blood transfers, and wa-la, our leading ladies are immortals! Weee! **

**4: Wands were created to channel magic inherently in a witch or wizard, to fix the fact that without wands, they have a very hard time getting it out, save for a few very powerful witches and wizards. Think of it like vision – some people are born with bad eye sight. They get glasses to fix the lack of ability to see. We all know we have eyes, like Wizarding folk know they have magic, but we can't use our eyes properly without glasses, and likewise, witches and wizards can't use magic properly without wands. HOWEVER, sometimes people get lucky (like me, hehe) and have perfect vision. Likewise, some witches and wizards are naturally gifted with the ability for wandless magic. Not the perfect analogy, but close enough.**

**Hope that clears a few things up, and without further ado: **

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><p>The sun had risen almost two hours ago, but Quinn was still out walking around the Hogwarts grounds. He'd visited with Neville and Luna Longbottom for a while this morning, and talked to them a bit about what he was feeling right now. The guilt, though still present, was someone lessened. Neville had always been a good support for Quinn; they often enjoyed discussions about Herbology outside of class. To other students, spending time with a teacher might seem a bit odd, but Quinn had always preferred the company of those older than himself. Luna had never frowned upon him for that – in fact she too had been a good support to Quinn over the last few years, always offering the kind of common sense and wisdom that was uniquely hers.<p>

"Oi! Quinn!"

Quinn turned around to see Teddy Lupin approaching him from the direction of Hogsmead. "Hey Teddy, how are you?"

"I was about to ask you that," Teddy replied. "I heard about your mum. And grandma. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Quinn sighed. "It wasn't your fault."

"It wasn't yours, either," Teddy said, putting his arm around Quinn's shoulder.

Quinn shivered. Teddy always seemed to know what he was thinking – it was kind of uncanny. "Yeah," he mumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"Came up to see Hermione. She seems to have a building project she wants my help with. I told her I'd come to the staff meeting this morning. By the way, you're up early."

Quinn shrugged. "Didn't really sleep much. I've been out walking around for a few hours now. Do you know what the building project is?"

Teddy tilted his head as if to ask Quinn to walk with him, and the two began to walk towards the castle. "She wants to build a big apartment building, you know, a bunch of flats all together in one place, so that the folks hiding out at the castle can get out and you youngin's can get back to your schooling."

"Not like we can learn much, with no wands to use." Quinn pointed out.

"Oh, there's plenty you can learn. Hell, half of what I learned at school was outside the classroom. There's something to be said for the development of problem solving skills whist trying to get away with mischief." Teddy remarked.

Quinn smiled. "I'm not much for mischief, you know that."

"I do," Teddy grinned. "But when I was your age, I wasn't either. It wasn't until I was nearly fifteen that I went all wild and crazy. Oh, the pep talks I got!"

"Like what?" Quinn wanted to know.

"Like one day, Flitwick caught me, after midnight, in the great hall, snogging someone on the Slytherin table. Harry sat me down and went on and on about being proper, and that he didn't care if I was snogging girls or guys, but that I needed to keep it to myself, blah, blah."

"Girls or guys?" Quinn's curiosity was piqued.

Teddy shrugged. "I'm bisexual. I married Rose so I could have a family, and Merlin knows she adores me, for some reason. But that doesn't change that I do fancy other blokes as well."

Quinn blushed. So far as anyone knew, he had never been interested in anyone, girl or guy. In truth he found himself, like Teddy, attracted to both, but until this moment, he'd thought that made him some sort of a freak, and had never acted on anything. Not that he'd have the nerve to do it anyhow…he was no Gryffindor.

"Quinn?" Teddy asked, having noticed the change in the boy's expression. "Are you…?"

"I don't know," Quinn whispered. "I think I might be…I never heard of anyone else who liked both. I mean, there's Uncle Hugo and Giles, they're gay, and Aunt Hermione and Minerva, their lesbians…"

"Hermione's not really. She's never gunna leave Minerva, but you gotta remember that your Aunt Rose and Uncle Hugo came from somewhere. I know you don't remember Ron, but he and Hermione were together for a long time."

Quinn blinked. That had never occurred to him. For as long as he could remember, Aunt Hermione had been with Minerva. "Well that makes me feel a bit better. I thought I was a freak of nature."

Teddy shook his head. "No way. There's more bisexuals out there than you'd guess. A lot of us just settle down with someone of the opposite sex so we can raise a family in a way society is okay with. But that doesn't mean that a kid can't be raised just fine by two men or two women – look at Simon, for example. He turned out just fine."

"I bet Aunt Hermione is the only really famous one, though," Quinn said. "Because of what society is like."

Teddy shook his head and smiled, and leaned close to Quinn's face. "Harry is too," he whispered with a grin. But you didn't hear that from me."

Quinn got wide eyed. "No way!"

"Yup," Teddy said with a smirk. "Now run along, go find some trouble, I've got to get to that staff meeting."

Quinn nodded, and ran off, intent on finding a certain Ravenclaw prefect he'd been secretly stealing glances of. Damn that Gryffindor bravery rubbing off on him.

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><p>Harry had a few hours before he was set to meet up with Dudley, to take Abram. Harry's only condition was that Dudley would not tell his son that Wizards kidnapped the boy. If there was any hope of future relations between Abram and his parents, they didn't need to start off hating Wizards.<p>

Harry looked hesitantly around before Apparating to a remote cabin in the Scotland Highlands. "I can't believe I'm bloody doing this."

The door to the cabin opened before Harry had a chance to knock, and out stepped a tall, dark haired man. "Hello Severus," Harry said quietly.

The older man smiled gently. "Harry, I thought you might be by sometime."

Harry looked down. "I don't mean to presume…"

Severus stopped Harry with a searing kiss. "I've missed you," he said.

"And I you," Harry replied, wrapping his arms around Severus' body. The two, quite unknown to Ginny and the kids, had been having an affair for years. Severus had never asked Harry to step away from his marriage, and they only got together every so often. But now…with Ginny gone…Harry wished he felt more guilty about being here, a mere week after the death of his wife.

"For one hour, Harry, don't think of her," Severus pleaded, pushing the door closed as he and Harry moved towards the bedroom.

"While I'm with you, I never do," Harry said, pulling off his shirt and pushing Severus onto the bed."

"Harry…" Severus moaned. "Want you…"

It only took a couple minutes before both men were naked and in each other's arms. Harry felt his body being pressed into the soft mattress as Severus lowered himself on top of him. "Ever fucked the Minister of Magic before?" Harry asked with a grin.

It was his way of pointing out that it had been more than two years since they'd been together. Yet, still, it felt like yesterday when Harry had last snuck away, a few days before Kingsley would pass away.

"Nope," Severus replied brazenly. "But I'm gunna."

Two hours later Harry was showered and getting ready to leave. They had made love passionately for quite some time, and Harry was feeling a good deal more relaxed.

"Hey Harry," Severus said as he walked the younger man to the door. "Now that Ginny is gone…"

Harry knew what Severus was asking. Without Ginny being in the picture, there was no reason to continue keeping their relationship a secret. But on the other hand, Harry now being Minister, it was almost more prudent to keep it under wraps.

"I don't know, Severus," Harry replied honestly. "I need to think about it. Ginny's only been gone a week."

Severus nodded, understanding. "At the least, will I be seeing you more often."

Harry smiled. "If you do not object."

Severus smiled. "I never could turn you down."

With a quiet pop, Harry was gone from the cottage and now standing in a small park that he himself had frequented as a child. He'd apparated behind a small building, in interest of now being seen. With the current climate of things, Muggles would not be easily fooled by "of course I didn't appear out of thin air, silly!"

Coming out from behind the shed, and saw is aging cousin standing by the swings with a small boy. Muggle life spans what they were, a twinge of sadness came over Harry as he realized that Dudley, too, would be gone from this world soon enough.

"Dudley!" he called.

"Hey Harry!" Dudley replied with a smile. "Abram and I were just talking about Wizards."

Harry smiled softly. "Hello Abram. I'm Harry Potter. Your grandfather is my cousin."

"Are you a Wizard?" Abram wanted to know.

Harry nodded. "I am."

"For really and truly, grandpa?" the boy asked, turning to Dudley.

Dudley nodded. "Yes Abram…and so are you."

Abram looked at his grandfather curiously. "When the news people started talking about how to tell if someone was a witch or wizard…I thought I might be."

"You are a very special boy, Abram," Dudley said quietly. "What the Minister is saying about how witches and wizards should be killed is wrong."

Abram gulped at Dudley's mention of killing witches and wizards, and Harry decided it was time for him to step in. "Abram, magical people are trained up at a school, called Hogwarts. Normally you wouldn't hear about this until you were eleven, but with what's been happening, your grandfather has asked if I would take you there now. How would you feel about that?"

Harry looked in astonishment as the boy casually started moving his finger in a circle, and at that moment, the merry-go-round began to turn with a squeak. "Sounds cool," Abram said. "Wanna go for a ride first?"

"Incredible," Dudley said with awe at his grandson's feat.

"Dudley, you have no idea just how incredible that is…" Harry muttered. Hermione was going to flip.

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><p><strong>EEK! Don't kill be for not including any Minerva or Hermione in this chapter...they will both be in the next one, I PROMISE! Also, there will be a very lovely segment of our girls involved in make up sex come chapter 11...I know that's still a while away, but bear with me. I didn't want to do a smut scene too soon, as half the fun is buildup, and without the buildup of them initially getting together, the buildup must merely become time. Also, please review. *bats eyes*<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the delay! Here you guys go, another chapter for Antebellum!**

**To JUJUChick16: Your question was already answered – "The two, quite unknown to Ginny and the kids, had been having an affair for years."**

**To mxrolkr: Yay for being the first to catch me reference! If any of you are into sci-fi, you totally need to check out "Sanctuary". Amanda tapping is totally hot as a brunette. I mean wowza! **

**To Ro: Me too. *giggle* Killing Ginny makes Snarry so much more fun!**

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><p>Hermione sat at the head of the staff table. No matter how many years that passed, she still felt odd having Minerva there at her left. It should have been the other way around, had Minerva not vanished after the war. Not that her partner's reasons for leaving weren't sound, but Hermione still felt somewhat guilty about it.<p>

Hermione nodded curtly has Teddy Lupin walked in, and then stood to signal the meeting was going to start. Teddy was the last to arrive, ten minutes late, but knowing Teddy he would have some sort of good reason, and as he was not on her staff, technically, it was not her place to discipline him for tardiness, beside the point. Among her staff, Hagrid was missing, he had been excused to go talk to the Centaurs about the building project, and how it might affect them. Viktor was also gone. _Oh Viktor, I will miss you_. Hermione thought.

"As a result of this war with the Muggles," Hermione began. "and the fact that we no longer have the use of our wands, we need to adjust our curriculum. Albus Dumbledore didn't close this school during the war against Voldemort, and neither shall I. Regardless of the fact that wandless magic has never been taught to pre OWL level students in the past, this will have to be adjusted. The students cannot be left defenseless as they grow into adults, and we have no way of knowing how long this war will go on."

"Hermione and I have also discussed to opening Hogwarts to adults who wish to be instructed in wandless magic," Minerva added. "With the facility that Mr. Lupin will be headed up the construction of, we would be able to board some of the adults who wish to attend classes. We could set up a special Floo to allow others to come from the various other safe houses, and for those who have chosen to remain in their own residences, they could Floo to a safe house, and from there to Hogwarts. We need to carefully guard how many places have direct access to the school, as we cannot hope to keep everywhere safe from Muggle intrusion."

Hermione nodded. "Now that the Muggles are aware of us, a lot of the simpler charms we have always used to keep hidden will no longer work, as they often depend on a pre existing lack of knowledge regarding the Wizarding kind."

Neville spoke up. "I am willing to open up Longbottom Manor for use as a safe house. It's not like I'm ever there, anyhow."

Hermione nodded. "I thought you might, Neville. I'd like you to take charge of researching the most well protected Manors in Britain, and contacting their owners and asking if they would also be willing. I talked to Harry recently, and he agreed to support me in full evacuations of areas that are not one hundred percent wizarding. At this point, we need to focus on surviving a massacre before we can even contemplate striking back."

"Malfoy Manor is yours, Headmistress," Draco said curtly, and Hermione nodded in acknowledgment.

"I think we should get in touch with all of the surviving Order members, at DA members, and assign at least two at each safe house." Seamus suggested. "In the case that some Muggles to manage to get into one of them, I don't think it's right to leave the refugees defenseless."

"Who will be taking over for Defense classes?" Nero McGonagall asked.

Hermione sighed. "As some of you are aware, Victor has returned to Bulgaria. His elder brother was killed in the first attack, and that made Victor the head of the Krum household. Severus Snape has agreed to return to Hogwarts and take over as Defense Professor, though he made quite sure I understood it would only be until this crisis is abated."

Draco, Seamus, and Neville all snickered at that comment. The other professors, aside from Minerva and herself, had never had the pleasure of meeting Severus.

"What is Professor Snape like?" Cecilia asked.

Neville cleared his throat. "He held the Potions post for sixteen years, and I can assure you that he WILL come by your classroom and tell you what you're doing wrong."

"He's not that bad, Longbottom," Draco objected.

"To you," Neville countered. "I wasn't one of his Slytherins, however, and he was less kind to me."

"Neville, am I going to have a problem with you and Severus?" Hermione asked with a groan.

Neville shook his head. "Snape and I agreed a long time ago – I stay away from Potions, and he curbs his insults down a good fifty percent. We'll be fine, just don't expect us to be best mates."

"It might be wise for you to steer clear of Severus, Jean Luc," Minerva cautioned the French Divination professor. "If you remember our first meeting, and my disapproval, multiply that times ten and you get Severus."

"But Minerva," Jean Luc replied. "You have learned to respect my art. Perhaps he will too."

"I wouldn't count on it, Jean Luc," Kent Ology replied. "From what I've read, that man can hold a grudge for at least twenty years. And he is a Master Occlumance, so don't even think of trying to get into his head."

"Fantastic." Jean Luc sighed. "I'll just do my best to stay out of his way. Merlin knows I suck at wandless magic, and from what you guys are saying, I'm certain he is quite proficient."

"Severus has his merits as well," Teddy said firmly. "And with age, he has mellowed. Now, shall we get back on topic?"

Hermione smiled at her daughter's husband. The two of them were the only ones who knew about Severus' relationship with Harry…and Harry had no idea that either of them knew. "Indeed," Hermione nodded. "So Teddy, what do you need to get this building project started?"

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><p>"Aunt Min?" Harry called as he walked into the Headmistress' office. As Minerva and Hermione were together, they shared the office and the quarters attached to it, so it was most likely that Minerva would be here.<p>

"Hello, Harry," Minerva replied, getting up from the couch in the corner and putting the book she'd been reading down on the side table.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Oh, somewhere on the ground with your godson, talking about the building project," Minerva sighed. "I suspect they will take most of the afternoon making up their minds. I would have just looked at a map, saving the time and energy, but not those two. Teddy's motto should be _'the hard way or no way'_, I think."

Harry chuckled. "He got that from Tonks, not Remus. But at least Teddy got his father's grace."

"Speaking of children," Minerva said nodding toward the boy standing behind Harry. "Who is this?"

Harry smiled. "Minerva, this is Abram. He is my cousin Dudley's grandson, and he is one of us."

"Is she a wizard too?" Abram asked, taking a step away from Harry.

"She's a witch," Harry corrected. "And my aunt. I don't think she'll mind if you call her 'Aunt Minerva'."

"Not at all," Minerva smiled. "Nice to meet you, Abram."

"Why don't you show Aunt Minerva one of your tricks?" Harry suggested to the boy.

Abram took another step forward, and started looking around the room. When he spotted the desk, he held out his hand, and a quill started floating toward him. "How's that, Harry?"

Harry glanced and Minerva's stunned expression. "Yes, that's perfect Abram. How about you go sit down on that couch over there and try one of Aunt Minerva's Ginger Newts."

"So you grownups can talk?"

"Yes, Abram," Harry smiled, amused by the boy's bluntness.

Minerva followed Harry over to the other end of the room. "How old is he?"

"Just turned ten."

"Is that the extent of his abilities, summoning?"

Harry laughed. "Oh, hell no. He can summon, move things, change colors, Dudley thinks he may have Apparated a few times, vanish things, do the _engorgo_ charm…all silent, all wandless, and that's just what I've learned in the last two hours."

"If we can figure out how he does it, perhaps some method he came up with on his own," Minerva pondered, "perhaps we can implement it into the school curriculum and teach it to others."

"I thought of that," Harry said, "Which is why I think that you and Hermione should foster him."

Minerva sputtered. "What?"

"Dudley handed him off to me because Abram's parents have already been convinced that Wizards and Witches should all be killed…they have not figured out what Abram can do yet, but Dudley was worried that now that they know what to look for, they will," Harry explained. "I can't really keep him, not without Ginny here to help. I don't work in the same place I live, either. And, I am totally crap at wandless magic, and Abram needs someone who can nourish his talents."

Minerva nodded in agreement. "Very well, let's go for a walk and find Hermione. I have to inform my wife that I've taken in another stray."

Harry chuckled, well aware that this was not the first time that Minerva and Hermione had taken a child under their charge. Every few years, a student would roll into Hogwarts with a bad home life, ask for help, and they would be allowed to remain at the school during Holidays and the summer break. Harry found himself often wishing Albus had done the same for him, when he was growing up at Number Four, Privet Drive.

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><p>Quinn was in the Gryffindor common room. After his morning walk, he'd gone back to the rooms he was sharing with his father, and they had gotten into a fight. It was about nothing, really, but after that Quinn decided to move his belongings back to Gryffindor Tower.<p>

"Hey, Quinn!"

Quinn looked up from the book he was reading. "Hey Teddy, how'd the meeting go?"

"As well as meetings ever go," Teddy said, cheekily. "The project is going to get started ASAP, and I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me out with something."

Quinn raised his eyebrows. "With what?"

"Well, with less magic that we can work with, getting this done is going to take some good ol' fashioned elbow grease. I was wondering if you would take charge of recruiting able bodied students to help out."

Quinn looked at Teddy, thoughtful. Doing this would certainly give him something to do, something to take his mind off of his mother, and grandmother. "What about classes?" he inquired.

Teddy shrugged. "Hermione says they won't be starting classes for at least a week. All the teachers need to rewrite all their lesson plans." He chucked and then added: "Without magic."

Quinn grinned. Like him, Teddy had been raised to be self sufficient with or without magic. Being related to the Golden Trio, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, that is, all the kids and grandkids had grown up hearing stories about how the three friends had done this, and managed that, with little or no magic. They'd been first year students at Hogwarts when they'd survived an encounter with a troll, and then gone on to save the Sorcerer's Stone from Voldemort. Most pure-blood Wizarding families just started teaching magic at an early age, leaving the kids to grow up with no idea of how to get by without it.

"Alright, I'll do it," Quinn finally answered. "Any rules on who I can and cannot recruit?"

Teddy shrugged. "Even first years can help with handing those doing the actual building their tools. Just no werewolf haters, please."

"You're not a werewolf, are you?" Quinn asked, surprised at Teddy's comment.

"No, but my dad was," Teddy explained. "I'm surprised you didn't already know that."

Quinn shrugged. "I'm sure there's a lot I don't know about you."

"Likewise," Teddy replied.

"Nah," Quinn said. "You've known me since I was born. I'm sure you know pretty much everything about me."

"Not everything. I'm sure you have your share of secrets as well."

"Just one," Quinn said quietly.

Teddy patted him on the shoulder. "Give it time, you'll get more. That's all part of growing up."

Quinn nodded. "I'll get right on recruiting. I'll just go up to my room and grab a quill and some parchment, and start. Should I have them just report to you?"

"It'll take me a few days to get the supplies we'll need to start. I'll Owl you with a date, time and place to meet, and then you just collect everyone you've gotten together and we'll meet like that."

"That works," Quinn agreed.

"See you in a few days, Quinn."

"See you, Teddy."

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><p><strong>PLEASE REVIEW!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys! Sorry for the slow updates lately. Life has a way of getting in the way of writing fanfic when there are bills to pay, babies to feed, work to get done, blah, blah, blah. Hope you like this chapter. Hope it was worth the wait. Be prepared for an AWESOME twist. **

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><p>Minerva and Hermione were having dinner with some of their family. They had been one of the few families that had managed to make it through the initial attack without loosing any immediate members. Rose, Hugo, and Simon were all fine. They all mourned for Ginny and Susanna, but were certainly grateful they were all safe.<p>

Included in this family was their new foster son, Abram. Hermione had taken an instant liking to the boy, and Simon had determined that it was about time he wasn't the youngest child in the family.

Shortly after the attack, Rose and Teddy had moved to Hogwarts to be close to their school age children. Not to mention, it was safer here than it was at the Burrow. Hugo and Giles had come from America as soon as they'd realized their wands weren't working. Hugo shared his mother's appreciation for Wand Lore, and knew that if their wands weren't working, it was really, really bad. Simon…well Simon would be the first to admit he was a mamma's boy. As soon as he knew there was danger, he'd decided to stick close to his mum and mother.

At the table tonight was Minerva, Hermione, Simon, Hugo, and Abram. Rose was with her children, and Giles had decided to spend some quality time with his parents.

"So, Abram," Simon said, "What do you like to do for fun?"

Abram looked thoughtful. "I like trees. And plants. Uncle Harry said that there was something here at Hogwarts called…Herbobbaology."

"Herbology," Hermione corrected with a chuckle. "Perhaps Hugo will take you down to the greenhouses to meet Professor Longbottom tomorrow. That's the subject he teaches."

"You should also check out the Whomping Willow," Simon suggested with a grin.

"Simon!" Minerva scolded. "If you even think of tricking Abram into going near that tree, I will tell your godfather."

Simon cringed. Severus would give him an earful if Abram got hurt by the Whomping Willow. "I meant with supervision. With someone who knows how to handle it."

Abram's curiosity was piqued. "What's a Whomping Willow?"

Hugo answered. "It's a tree that tries to hit you with its branches if you get too close to it. Uncle Severus hates that tree."

"How come?"

"Long story," Hermione said firmly. "And not a tale for the dinner table. Abram, if you're interested in plants, you may also find Potions an interesting subject to study."

"Neville would disagree," Hugo laughed.

Hermione shrugged. "The two subjects relate to each other closely. Potions is also an interesting companion field to genetics. That's what your grandfather studies, right?"

"Yup," Abram replied. "Grandpa says that everything I am is because of little buggers, like smaller than dust, that live in my blood, called DNA."

"That's right, Abram," Hermione agreed.

Minerva sat back and listened to the conversation unfold. Abram was exceedingly bright for a ten year old. A kindred spirit to Hermione. It was moments like this that Minerva almost regretted that she and Hermione never had any more children than Simon. Thirty years ago, even having one child seemed preposterous to Hermione, at the age of fifty-one, but now…

Perhaps, Minerva thought, it was time to take more of a hand in finding Simon someone to settle down with. It was about time he started a family of his own. The wizarding world certainly needed new life, now more than ever.

* * *

><p>Abram had been with Harry, or whoever, for almost two weeks now. Somewhere in the midst of the chaos of his supposed disappearance, Dudley Dursley had had an epiphany. He'd always speculated that magic itself was a gene, though it wasn't until two days ago when watching the television that he'd quite suddenly been certain.<p>

The Prime Minister had been rambling on and on at a press conference about how and why the Wizarding kind should be under their authority. He'd cited historical references about how King Arthur had captured Merlin, a man who merely displayed an affinity towards magical creatures and could do a few simple tricks, and forced him to drink the blood of multiple magical creatures. That had been when Merlin became a true Wizard.

From that point, according to the Prime Minister, Merlin had bedded and impregnated four women, and the offspring of those unions had all carried the magical talents on, and down through the centuries. Though the Minister hadn't said so directly, Dudley knew that it was the proof he'd been waiting for - proof that magic was indeed a genetic trait.

Dudley's cousin, Harry Potter, had told him that the muggles had developed a toxin to destroy wand cores, thus leaving them, the Wizards and Witches, quite defenseless. In an effort to be helpful, Dudley had been spending his time of late studying family records, in hopes of finding some missing relation that would share Abram's obvious gifts for wandless magic. Upon finding little of interest, except that the Evans line descended from the Gryffindor line, Dudley decided to experiment on himself.

Even though, Dudley reasoned, he himself had never showed magical ability, the blood of Gryffindor ran in his blood strong enough for him to pass it on to his grandson. If, somehow, the dormant gene in his body could somehow be activated, then perhaps the same method would work in other muggles with the recessive magic gene. With the current loss of Wizarding life, they needed all the help they could get. Turning muggles into Wizards and Witches were certainly under mind what the Minister was currently trying to do.

And so, Dudley called in a huge favor, and got one of his Wizarding contacts to send him a vial of Griffin blood. At Harry's suggestion some years ago, Dudley had read a bunch of Potions books, getting a rudimentary understanding of the art often had the ability to change the genetic properties of a human. Through that study, Dudley had realized that the combination of various bloods that King Arthur had forced Merlin to drink had cancelled out some of the harmful elements of each, which is why drinking the blood didn't kill Merlin outright. With today's technology, Dudley hypothesized that he could filter out the harmful parts of one creatures blood, and inject the remaining magical properties directly into his blood, and that it may, like Merlin, activate dormant magical ability.

Dudley glanced at the vial in his hand and sighed. He must be completely mad, for trying to alter his body chemistry so drastically, at his age. "Here goes nothing," he mumbled, poking the needle into his arm.

For a moment, nothing happened. And then, quite suddenly, Dudley's head began to spin, and a tingling sensation began to wash over his body. "Blimey," he gasped, about three seconds before he hit the ground.

* * *

><p>Harry's head hurt. In all his life, he had never heard a group of people argue so loudly. And that said a lot, considering he had married into the Weasley family. The members of the Wizengamot were currently shouting at each other, each trying to express their ideas of what to do now. It had been two weeks since the Muggle attack. Now that most of what remained of the Wizarding world was safely hidden away at Hogwarts, or in one of the equally safe Manors that connected to it, the political fall out was in full swing.<p>

"SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP!" Harry finally shouted.

Silence filled the room instantly.

"You are arguing like children," Harry said with authority. "I realize that many of you have lost family members in recent weeks, and I am very sorry for your losses. But revenge, as many of you seem to be suggesting, is not a good idea. We are not strong enough. Without wands, we are in no shape to take on the Muggle armies. Having potions to speed healing is about the only upper hand we have left. The muggle Military forces outnumber our Auror Division at least one hundred to one. Right now, we need to regroup, and plan on appropriate responses for scenarios that could occur in the months that come."

"Like what, Minister?" a middle aged Wizard inquired. "Plan for how to respond to more death?"

Harry stood up straight. "How would you respond to my death?" he asked. "Elections would be impossible to hold with a third of our population dead or missing and the remaining in hiding? I realize that article six-four-three states that if I die in office, I am succeeded by my undersecretary, but my undersecretary died four days ago."

Another member of the Wizengamot, a very old witch, spoke crisply. "Article three-eight-one states that in a time of war, the current Minister is allowed to name a temporary successor, who only holds power until proper elections can be held. Historically, the Minister's first choice is the Head of the Auror Division."

Harry glanced over to Dean Thomas, who gave him a firm look and mouthed: _"Don't you bloody dare"_.

Harry sighed. He figured that Dean would refuse. The man always hated politics. He often insisted that no one told him that being an Auror had anything to do with the Wizengamot.

"Auror Thomas doesn't not like dealing with the petty quarrels of the Wizengamot," Harry said, "as you all well know. I select Minerva McGonagall as my emergency successor, should that need arise."

Muttering filled the room. Harry knew they would not be happy about this, as Minerva was married to the current Head of Hogwarts. Giving Minerva the power of the Ministry might as well mean giving Hogwarts the power of the Ministry. Many on the Wizengamot believed that the Ministry should have power over Hogwarts still.

"If you don't like it, then do your best to keep me alive," Harry said firmly. "Session adjourned. Owl me next time you people feel up to have an actual productive meeting."

* * *

><p>Quinn sat under a tree by the Black Lake, watching as the Hogwarts Express was being unloaded. Instead of students, it was currently carrying more building supplies and tools, needed for the project that Teddy was heading up. Quinn, true to his word, had gathered a good many students to help out. Within four days, he'd had nearly a hundred people reporting to Teddy, and he'd been sending down another dozen or so each day since. Quinn supposed that now that the shock had worn off, more people just wanted to stay busy, so they didn't have to think about the loved ones they had lost.<p>

At the moment, Quinn was working on another project. He was making a list of magic that most wizards could do without wands:

_Apparation_

_Luminos _

_Nox_

_Accio_

_Wingarium Leviosa_

Quinn sighed; there wasn't much he could think of to add to his list. Even the spells currently on the list had limitations. For example, Quinn himself could to a wandless summoning charm, but only if it was a small object. Anything bigger than a bludger, and he couldn't count on it working.

Quinn knew that most people couldn't do wandless spells above first year level, and some couldn't even do that. He knew that Aunt Hermione could do a lot of wandless spells…but she was Hermione Granger, Headmistress of Hogwarts. If the Head of Hogwarts couldn't kick some muggle arse without a wand, there was something seriously wrong with the world.

* * *

><p>Dudley Dursley woke up – which rather surprised him – feeling better than he had in years. He had a bump on his head from hitting the floor, but other than that, no pain, no creaky joints, so stiff muscles. Amazing, for an eighty-two year old man.<p>

Dudley got up off the floor and grabbed his car keys. Minutes later he was on route to the storage shed where he kept most of his deceased parents' belongings. He had gotten rid of some things, but others he kept in storage.

There was one thing in that storage unit that Dudley was after. In the shed, buried beneath a lot of old junk, in a sealed box, inside of another sealed box, was the wand of Lily Evans Potter. Dudley had tried to give the wand to Harry when he'd initially found it after his mother, Petunia had died fifteen years ago, but Harry had told him that it had been given to Petunia after her sister's death, and that it belonged to him now. When Dudley had figured out Abram was a Wizard, he'd thought about giving it to him, but now…

Dudley parked the car, and made his way to the storage shed. He gingerly unlocked the door, and stepped inside. He flicked on the light and closed the door behind him. If what he thought was about to happen actually happened, he did not want anyone to see. After a few minutes of digging, he found the box he knew the wand was in, and opened it carefully.

"If the Griffin blood actually activated my magical gene," he muttered to the other boxes that inhabited this shed, "then I should be able to use Aunt Lily's wand."

Dudley knew that the toxin the Prime Minister had spread had only been so devastating because an airborne toxin would get everywhere that air could get, and all Wizards carry their wands at all time. This wand had been in a sealed container; Dudley had made sure the box was air tight when he'd put the wand here. Fifteen years ago, he just wanted to make sure no termites got to it.

There it was. Dudley took a deep breath and picked up the slender piece of wood, warmth instantly coursing through his arm. Years of knowing Harry had given Dudley a decent enough understanding of what some of the simpler spells did.

Gripping the wand carefully, Dudley whispered "Luminos."

Not even three seconds passed before the tip of the wand lit up brightly. And for the first time in many, many years, Dudley Dursley giggled. Harry was going to flip.

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><p><strong>Please review! Reviews make me write faster! <strong>


	9. Chapter 9

"Andu1991**" asked a very good question via review that I feel I should answer before I keep going. The question was, in summery, 'If Dudley was able to use Lily's wand because it was in a sealed container, aren't there other wands around that have been likewise preserved?'. I'm only going to address this casually in the story, so here's the more detailed answer. Witches and Wizards always carry their wands, and exposed to air, the cores are destroyed. When a Witch or Wizard dies, they are often buried with their wands, and tombs are unlikely to be airtight even if people were willing to dig up graves just to get at some working wands. Everything in a wandmakers shop, if we can use Olivander's for any example, is also not likely to be in a sealed container. In Deathly Hallows, Griphook indicates that thieves trapped in Vaults often live for a good while, which suggest that the Vaults are not airtight if there happened to be any wands there. Wands that stay in families, for example, Ron Weasley had a hand-me-down wand, are handed down to other family members, thus not in sealed containers. The only reason Harry didn't inherit his mother's wand was because Petunia never told him she had it. That said, there might be a few wands that crop up, but not many. **

* * *

><p>Hermione smiled as she watched her best friend play with his second-cousin. Harry was here at Hogwarts today, visiting Abram under the guise of checking on her progress with the apartments. What the Wizengamot didn't know wouldn't hurt them, he'd said. Hermione agreed, and found herself feeling peaceful for the first time in weeks, just watching her young charge play with her longtime friend. It was good to see Harry was rising above his pain and stress.<p>

"Harry," Hermione said quite suddenly. "You should stop in and see Severus while you're here."

Harry looked at her, stunned. "What?" he gaped.

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "You didn't honestly think I wasn't aware of what's been going on between you two, did you?"

Harry stiffened. "Did Ginny…?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, she never knew, Harry. Only myself and your godson know. Teddy was the one to figure it out, and once he told me, and I knew what to look for, I knew he was right."

"That little bastard," Harry muttered. "Marauder to the core. Remus would have figured it out too, had he not died."

"I'm stunned you've never told anyone, Harry," Hermione said casually. "I mean, I realize it's a private matter, but still. Surely having someone to talk to…"

Harry shook his head. "Ron knew. I told him when he was going through those issues with Rose not liking his taste in younger women. You'd just become Headmistress…I didn't want to be a bother. By the time things relaxed…well…I had become comfortable with my secret."

Hermione nodded. She didn't begrudge Harry for telling her ex-husband. After all, all three of them had been best friends. She and Ron's divorce hadn't changed that, it just meant that the three didn't hang out as a trio anymore. Harry had maintained his relationship with Ron up until the day the red-haired man had passed away, eleven years ago.

Abram suddenly stalked over to where the two adults had been quietly talking. "Uncle Harry, are you done with your grown-up talk? I want to show you a trick I learned."

Harry nodded with a smile. "Go ahead," he urged.

Abram ran to the nearest tree and started climbing. As soon as he reached a point a good five feet off the ground, he jumped. To the surprise of both Harry and Hermione, he did not hit the grass. He flew, to the next tree, about ten feet away, and landed with a loud grunt on a thick branch. "I'm still working on the landing!" he called.

Hermione shook her head is disbelief. "Who on earth taught you how to do that?" she asked as she and Harry started walking toward where Abram was now perched.

Abram frowned. "I don't know his name."

"What does he look like?" Harry asked, voice laced with worry.

Abram jumped out of the tree and landed softly on the ground. "Tall. Wears a lot of black. Has a big nose." The boy frowned. "Most people act like he scares them."

Harry burst out laughing. "I see you've met Severus Snape."

Hermione agreed with his assessment. Severus was the only man with that description that could have taught Abram to fly. "That's Professor Snape to you, Abram."

"Yes, Aunt Hermione," Abram nodded.

Just then, a small brown owl hooted, announcing his arrival.

"That's Dudley's owl," Harry said, cocking his head to the side as the small bird landed on his shoulder. Harry handed the bird a treat and took the envelope from his beak. He opened the envelope quickly, surprised that there was only a small scrap of paper inside, as apposed to Dudley's usual short novel length letter.

_Harry, we need to talk, in person, as soon as possible. Now, if you can get away from what you're doing. I'll be waiting for you at the Leaky Cauldron. _ _– Dudley_

Hermione took note of Harry's frown. "What's up?" she asked.

Harry handed her the note, obviously not wanting Abram to know what Dudley, the boy's grandfather, had written about. As she read the short note, Hermione's eyebrows rose. "Go, now," she said quietly. "I'll tell Severus you said hello."

Harry nodded. "Abram, I've got to run," he said, leaning down to hug the boy. "I'll see you soon, alright?"

Abram nodded, and Harry took off toward Hogsmead, the nearest point on the grounds where he could walk beyond the wards and Apparate to London. Hermione sighed as she watched her friend move quickly away, and then turned to her ward. "Let's head up for supper," she said, taking his hand.

* * *

><p>Quinn Potter was okay. Not good, but he was okay. It had been a month since his mum and grandmother died, and with the help of Teddy and Professor Longbottom, he'd managed to put most of his guilt to rest. He'd been keeping busy, helping Teddy and the other recruits with the building project. It was coming along well. The frame was totally built, and most of the walls would be put together by the end of this weekend. After that, they'd have to install the plumbing.<p>

Electricity was a luxury that was not presently being afforded, but Teddy had designed the building so that later on, if wanted, it could be put it. It had been Aunt Hermione that had developed the spell that allowed electricity to work in magical environments. Quinn still found it shocking that when his grandfather was his age, there was no way to make electricity work in Wizarding homes and buildings. But for now, torches would do. Enough people could light a torch, magically, without wands.

"Hey! Quinn!"

The fifth year Ravenclaw looked up from where he'd been sitting at the foot of the Whomping Willow. He liked this place – very few people knew how to get close to this tree without getting seriously injured, so he was usually afforded the privacy that was seldom found outdoors. One of the few at Hogwarts who did know the Whomping Willow's secrets was – "Hi Teddy," Quinn said with a bright smile. "Join me?"

Teddy Lupin wandlessly levitated a small branch and tapped the knot on the Whomping Willow's trunk, and instantly the braches stopped waving. By the time he plopped on the grass next to Quinn, the branches had resumed flicking about, and the two knew they were quite safe from intrusion.

"So how's it going?" Teddy asked.

"Okay," Quinn replied honestly. "Life goes on, you know. Never thought this would happen…war with muggles, I mean. I was brought up to respect muggles, and now, I can't help but be angry."

Teddy nodded. "You know, when I grew up in a generation of war orphans, myself included. I never imagined I'd have to worry much about making my own kids fatherless. Though people expected me to, I didn't become an Auror like Harry. I didn't want my kids to have to worry about my safety. As far as jobs go, working with secret passages and such is pretty risk free. If there's even a risk of something dangerous on a job, I hire an Auror to supervise the project."

"My mum didn't even work and she was one of the first to die," Quinn pointed out.

"Yea, that's kind of the round about point I was making," Teddy sighed. "No one is safe."

Quinn leaned against the older man's shoulder. "I feel safe around you."

* * *

><p>Harry Apparated to the doorstep of the Leaky Cauldron and opened the door quickly. He was so quick about it that had a muggle seen him appear out of thin air, they would have only had time to blink once before he vanished. In the current climate, he was half inclined to start carrying around his Invisibility Cloak again, but he hadn't been able to being himself to go back to Potter Manor and pick it up. He hadn't been there since the day he'd found Ginny and Susanna dead in the basement. No. He was not ready to face the memories that house held.<p>

Walking into the pub, Harry spotted his cousin sitting at one of the corner tables, fidgeting with a wand. Harry walked toward the table, stopping two feet in front if it. "Dudley, what are you doing with my mum's wand?"

Dudley gestured for Harry to take a seat. "I had it at the storage shed, in a sealed box. It works."

Harry blinked. Glee might be the word for the feeling welling up in his chest. "What?"

Dudley handed over the wand. "I told the barman to see that we aren't disturbed. Try a spell."

Harry took his mother's wand with care. "_Luminos_," he said, grinning like a schoolboy when the tip suddenly lit up.

Dudley chuckled. "Yea, that's the spell I thought was safe to try out. I'm sure it can do more than that, I just don't know too many other spells. When it comes to the Wizarding world, the only thing I know a lot about is Potions."

Harry was so focused on the profoundness of working wand that he very nearly missed Dudley's mention of trying out spells himself. "Huh? You tried _Luminos_?"

Dudley took the wand, still lit, back from Harry with a grin. "_Nox_," he said quietly, and the light doused immediately.

"Bloody hell." Harry gaped. "Dudley…how…you…magic…?"

Dudley sighed in contentment. "I've developed a serum of sorts that mimics what King Arthur did to Merlin. It activates the magical gene, so long as it exists in a person. I am now a Wizard. I'm currently my only proof that it works, but in theory if injected, family members of Muggleborn students could use it too. Massive bloody hangover after taking it, but otherwise I've noticed no problems as a result of injecting the serum. I realize this doesn't solve the issue with wands, but at least…"

"There's real hope of repopulating the Wizarding world," Harry finished. "Yes. This is…brilliant. All your theories seem to be spot on. The pureblood families are going to shit kittens, but as the Minister, I am very interested, Mr. Dursley." Harry smiled at his cousin. Who would have thought all those years ago, that the two of them would be working together to save the Wizarding World from extinction?

"Hey Harry," Dudley said with a blush, "I realize I'm a bit old, but do you think Hermione would mind if I enrolled at Hogwarts?"

* * *

><p>Minerva and Hermione, along with Severus Snape, were waiting in the Head's office for Harry to arrive. He had send an Owl a half hour ago saying that he needed to talk to the three of them, and that he'd be bringing someone important with him. He didn't say who, and anyone else might have been worried at that. Minerva, however, knew Harry Potter quite well and could tell from the rushed penmanship that he was excited about something. Very excited.<p>

Suddenly, the stairs to the office came to life, indicating someone's approach. Moments later, Harry stepped into the room with an old man at his side.

"Dudley!" Hermione cried out. "What are you doing here?"

It had been years since any of them had seen Harry's cousin, but all were on good terms. Severus perhaps most of all, as he and the muggle man often corresponded about potions.

"I take it your experiment worked?" Severus said with an uncharacteristic grin.

Dudley nodded. "Severus, good to see you. And yes, it worked."

"Lily's wand?" the old Potions master asked.

Dudley held up to item in question. "Indeed," he replied with a subtle tone of poking fun at Severus' frequent use of the word.

Severus smirked. "Excellent."

"Would one of you boys care to explain what's going on?" Hermione inquired.

"Mr. Dursley has developed a method for activating the magical gene that lays dormant in some muggles," Severus smirked. "He is now one of us."

"You're a Wizard?" Minerva gaped. This was…unheard of! Mindblowing! Insane! Downright crazy! On the other hand, Minerva mused, she was a Vampire hybrid married to a former student. Crazy was pretty much her lot in life.

"It seems that way," Harry answered for his cousin. "Dudley would like to enroll into Hogwarts. He only knows a couple of spells, simple ones that he's seen me use frequently enough."

"I don't have a problem with that," Hermione nodded. "Though if this does become something that can affect many others – "

"It can, though I wouldn't force it on anyone," Dudley cut in. "Any muggle that wants it, family members of muggle born students for example, can have it. Severus has been kind enough in helping me procure the ingredients for the batch I injected myself with, I'm sure we can manage to get more."

Hermione nodded. "If the number of adults just coming into magical abilities grows significant enough, we may want to consider setting up the empty classrooms throughout the castle, and hiring more staff. Adults will be capable of an accelerated curriculum. Perhaps a two year program that covers all the basics they will need to be active members of the Wizarding community?"

Minerva nodded in agreement. "Hermione, McGonagall Manor has not yet been opened to refugees. How about using it for this? Adults won't board…they have homes of their own, and probably younger children. We could set up the south wing at the Manor to be a childrens' room for students who are not yet of Hogwarts age, so they'd have something to do while their parents were in classes."

"Not a bad idea, Min," Hermione whispered.

Minerva smiled at her partner. She knew that right now, Hermione's mind was examining every aspect of McGonagall Manor in her head, trying to decide how best to set it up. There was much to be done, both in remodeling aspects of the Manor to suit the adult school, and in deciding who gets the serum that Mr. Dursley had developed and who did not. She had no idea how difficult it would be to reproduce what Harry's cousin had done. If it required ingredients hard to obtain in large quantities, they may have some major problems when people found out about this, and there was only a limited amount of doses available. Oh, and the purebloods were going to shit kittens.

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><p><strong>Reviews make me type faster!<br>**


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